The Moorestown Township Council took a firm step forward last night, as it will go out to bid for three separate field projects to see exactly how much the athletic field improvement plan will cost township taxpayers. The work, which includes improvements to three parks in town, will likely be funded or partially funded through the township’s open space trust fund.
Council gave Township Manager Scott Carew the go ahead to go out to bid for three separate projects at Wesley Bishop North, Wesley Bishop South, and Pryor Park. Carew said all three projects should cost the township about $4 million total to complete.
It’s important for Moorestown residents to view this project as a township project, not just a project for a special interest group in town, Carew said.
“It will be funded by the township, it is a township project,” Carew said, who also agreed that it’s appropriate to use money from the OSTF for the project. “Our fields do not stand up well when compared with other towns in the area.”
To offset the cost, the township can use funding from the open space trust fund, which has been a subject of controversy among Moorestown voters for the past several years. Known as the K.I.D.S initiative, township voters approved the measure in 2007, which enables the township to use funding from the township’s open space trust fund to improve athletic fields in Moorestown.
The OTSF runs through 2028 and is slated to raise more than $13 million through its lifetime. Currently township residents pay a 1-cent tax per every $1,000 of assessed property value to the OTSF. Many township voters have since come forward and said the vote was misleading, as they believed the money from the trust fund would only be used for the acquisition and preservation of open space in Moorestown.
Despite being legally allowed to draw money from the OTSF, several members of council were not convinced that this is yet the correct way to proceed with the project. Councilwoman Stacey Jordan said it would be prudent for the township to wait for engineering reports detailing the damage done to the Strawbridge Lake Dam before a decision is made. If those repairs are costly, she said, it would be better to use money from the OTSF to offset the impact to tax payers.
“The last time Strawbridge Lake had to be dredged cost the township close to $1 million,” Jordan also said.
Carew said there is about $11 million of the OTSF dedicated to projects throughout the town. However, this is also not taking into account any other open space money or grants the township may acquire in the future.
Carew also said the project can be offset through business sponsorships, fundraising efforts from the local sports programs, and naming rights for the three fields.
Wesley Bishop North has the highest priority among the three fields, Carew said. A second artificial turf field, grating work, and parking lot improvements are scheduled for the complex.
Pryor Park takes the second priority among the complexes, with the baseball fields scheduled to receive artificial turf infields and improved drainage.
Wesley Bishop South has the final priority, with the park scheduled to receive turf improvements and a better irrigation system. The complex no longer has an artificial turf field component, Carew said, but could also use some improved fencing.
