The Moorestown parks and recreation department received the Excellence in Design: Single-Use Athletic Facility Award at the annual New Jersey Recreation and Park Association (NJRPA) Awards on Feb. 27 in Atlantic City.
Theresa Miller, director of parks and recreation, accepted the award on behalf of the department. The Excellence in Design awards recognize outstanding achievements in the design of public-use recreation and park facilities, aesthetic quality, uniqueness of design, usability and versatility.
The award-winning project, JCH Full Throttle Field, honors the memory of Jack Casey Hannon – who died at the age of 5 three years ago – with a surface that embodied his passion for sports, particularly baseball. Inspired by the boy’s fondness for playing on the Whiffle Ball field at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, the JCH field was designed for the game.
Planning for the turf field began in September 2021 and was completed two years later. The project was a collaboration of various entities, including the Jack Hannon Full Throttle Fund with the Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ), the Moorestown Youth Baseball Federation and the support of the local community through fundraising.
Architects and engineers donated their services and the recreation department, alongside the Hannon family, spearheaded the project.