The Freeholder Board has approved the recommendations of the Open Space Preservation Trust Fund Advisory Committee to award the 2014 Recreation Facility Enhancement Project Grants. The grants, funded through the Camden County Open Space Preservation Trust Fund, are presented to existing publicly owned recreation facilities planning to expand their utilization for recreational purposes.
“These grants are an opportunity to build and enhance our parks and playgrounds throughout the county. We know these passive and active recreational offerings make Camden County a special place to live and improve our overall quality of life,” said Freeholder Jeffery L. Nash, liaison to the Open Space Preservation Trust Fund Advisory Committee. “This year’s applications represented a wide range of projects throughout the county. We appreciate the hard work and planning that went into each request.”
Each year, municipal organizations are invited to submit an application detailing the enhancements planned for their existing recreation facilities for consideration by the advisory committee. The requests for funding are limited to $25,000 per project, per year. The projects must be completed within a one year period. The Camden County Open Space Preservation Trust Fund was created by the Freeholder Board in 1999 in response to overwhelming voter support of an open space referendum placed on the ballot in November 1998.
Voorhees was among the grant recipients. A $25,000 grant was awarded to Voorhees to install exercise equipment at Connolly Park, and to place swings and mulch in the Sandpiper and Green Ridge Playgrounds. A $22,600 grant was awarded to the Lions Lake Girls Softball organization to replace the dugout roof, cap fences and construct a storage container at their field. The Voorhees Environmental and Cultural Education Foundation received at $25,000 grant to install rock gabions and plant a wildflower meadow at their facility.
