Spring officially arrived last Saturday bringing renewed optimism after a challenging year. Getting outside again is needed by all of us following our pandemic restrictions. I encourage all to get outside and enjoy our wonderful Voorhees park system.
Last week, I shared exciting information about the new owner of the Stafford Farm. Voorhees is fortunate to have several other beautiful areas to be enjoyed.
Connolly Park, located on Centennial Blvd., is a 49-acre oasis. Acquired by the Township in 2001, it contains two dog runs, one for large dogs and one for small dogs, a half-mile lighted walking and jogging track that includes workout stations, a large grass field for multi-sport usage, a cricket pitch with synthetic turf, a new open-air picnic pavilion adjacent to the playground with picnic tables and a tot-lot. Connolly Park is also the home of our Summer Concert Series and National Night Out. We are waiting on the CDC guidelines to determine if we will be able to hold these events this year.
Lions Lake Park is located on Dutchtown Road off of Route 73. Our community banquet facility is still closed during the pandemic. Recently, a new picnic pavilion was installed adjacent to the playground. It is also home to the Voorhees Girls Softball Association, with four fields which are fully lit. New dugout enclosures were added to all four fields. Recently, the National Softball Association named Lions Lake as one of three “Outstanding Parks” in the northeast and the only facility in New Jersey to receive the award.
Kirkwood Park, located along Laurel Oak Road behind the Hampton Inn, has a lighted softball field, paved walking path, a full basketball court which will be resurfaced this year thanks to a grant from Camden County, two tennis courts, a children’s playground, a multi-purpose field, two bocce ball courts and restrooms. The walking path and tennis courts were also recently resurfaced through grants received from both the state and Camden County. The township also permanently preserved the adjacent 14-acre Kirkwood Forest, enhancing and ensuring the beauty of this natural setting.
The Maiaroto Sports Complex, located on Echelon Road, is home to the Voorhees Soccer Association and host to the Annual Memorial Day Soccer Tournament, one of the largest in the country. The complex includes seven fields, including one with artificial turf, and recently expanded and improved lighting. It also offers two tennis courts and a full basketball court, as well as a fully operational snack bar with restrooms.
Home to the Gibbsboro Voorhees Athletic Association (GVAA) is the Rabinowitz Baseball Complex, located along Kresson Road, with six fenced baseball fields. “Sprinturf Diamonds” have been installed on the Babe Ruth and Majors fields. Three of the fields are fully lit. The complex also includes a children’s playground with swings as well as a snack bar and restrooms.
Eastern Junior Vikings Football and Cheer, as well as Voorhees Lacrosse Inc., use the Giangiulio Recreation Complex located along Victor Blvd. The complex includes a lighted athletic field with synthetic turf which is used year-round. In addition, there is a baseball field with lights and a newly upgraded fenced tot lot thanks to a county grant. Giangiulio also includes a snack bar and restrooms.
John Hale, Sr. Memorial Park is at the site of the former Voorhees Township Department of Public Works sewer plant on West End Avenue in the Ashland section of town. In partnership with the Ashland Residential Coalition (ARC) and with a grant from the Camden County Open Space Advisory Board, a playground with swings and a picnic pavilion were installed. This park connects to Ashland Woods, a 20-acre tract of forest permanently preserved by the township.
The township maintains neighborhood playgrounds on Round Hill Road, Elliot Playground on Elliot Drive in the Beagle Club, Sandpiper Playground on Willowbrook Way in the Avian Section, Cornell Drive Playground in Lake Villa and in the Green Ridge neighborhood where last year the tennis court was striped to include use as a pickle ball court. Voorhees also maintains two half-court basketball courts at the Sheppard Road Basketball Park located off of Centennial Blvd.
The township committee will continue to work to improve our park system. All of our parks are smoke free and maintained without the use of pesticides.
Be safe and maintain CDC guidelines then enjoy the outdoors in Voorhees!
** On-line registration for the 2021-2022 Voorhees Township Public School kindergarten full day program opened on March 1. Any child who will turn 5 on or before Oct. 1, 2021 is eligible for kindergarten admission in Sept. 2021. Beginning March 1, pre-registration can be completed at genesis.voorhees.k12.nj.us/genesis/openReg. After the pre-registration is completed, a staff member will contact for you for additional information.
**The Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club is holding a shredding event on May 1, from 9a.m. to noon at Tab Shredding, 341 Cooper Rd. West Berlin. The cost is $30 for up to 3bags/boxes plus $10 for each additional bag/box up to 10. All proceeds will go to charity. Masks and social distancing will be maintained.
** Voorhees Township is offering discounted tickets to Morey’s Piers in Wildwood. Tickets are available in the Municipal Clerk’s Office at Voorhees Town Hall. Prices vary according to the type of ticket and several options are available to residents and non-residents. For more information about tickets, visit www.voorheesnj.com
