According to the county, Mt. Laurel will fund rehabilitation of Devonshire Park with this year’s grant.
Burlington County Freeholder Linda Hughes, liaison to the County Department of Resource Conversation, has announced that the Board of Chosen Freeholders has awarded $4.98 million of park grants to municipalities during its public meeting this week.
According to the county, Mt. Laurel is one of the town’s selected for an award, and the township will use the money fund rehabilitation of Devonshire Park with this year’s grant.
According to the county, funding is used to assist towns in Burlington County develop or improve parks for outdoor active recreation. All 40 municipalities were eligible to apply for funding up to $250,000 as part of the County’s 2016 Municipal Park Development Grants.
“The County’s Municipal Park Development Program is a perfect example of how the Freeholder Board and local municipalities can share services and work together on behalf of county residents,” Hughes said. “These grants help enable our towns to build new ball fields or improve existing parks, while preserving open space and maintaining the quality of life we have in Burlington County.”
The grant program is funded through the County’s dedicated Open Space, Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. No municipal cost share or “match” is required to receive this grant funding. However, the funding is exclusively for hard costs, such as construction and repair of facilities, and not for the purchase of equipment or for operational and maintenance costs. Funds may be applied to the acquisition of recreational land or local cost share for farmland preservation.
Now in its seventh year, the county has awarded nearly $35 million to municipalities.
“It has always been a goal of the Freeholder Board to preserve open space to provide both passive and active recreational opportunities for our residents. One way we have accomplished this is through our county parks system,” Hughes said. “The focus of the county’s park system is passive recreation such as walking and hiking trails while the Municipal Park Development Program allows our municipalities to focus on active recreation facilities. We have seen many worthwhile projects come to fruition through this program and look forward to the improvements this year’s funding will provide.”
A full list of projects to be funded with this year’s awards include:
· Bass River: Improvements to Amasa Landing Road Park
· Beverly City: Improvements to two parks — William Gaines & Russell Park
· Bordentown City: Improvements to Spring Street Ballfield and the addition of a new playground & exercise track
· Bordentown Township: Improvements to Dix Drive-in Park
· Burlington City: Improvements to Riverfront Promenade Bandstand
· Burlington Township: Rehabilitation of 14 tennis courts in 8 areas
· Chesterfield Township: Playground improvements at Chesterfield Park
· Cinnaminson Township: Ravenswood Park improvements
· Delanco: Improvements to Waterfront Park and a sea wall installation
· Delran: An inclusive playground for Jake’s Place
· Eastampton: Improvements to CliverPark Improvements
· Edgewater Park: Improvements to Roosevelt Park
· Evesham: Improvements to Evesboro Downs
· Fieldsboro: The addition of pedestrian & bike access to White Hill Mansion, loop trail, and various park amenities
· Florence: Improvements to four parks
· Hainesport: Phase II of improvements to Rancocas Heights Park
· Lumberton: The addition of a new amphitheater at Village Green
· Mansfield: Improvements to Hedding Park
· Medford: Restoration of Bunning Field
· Moorestown: Improvements to Strawbridge Lake Park
· Mount Holly: Improvements to Woolman Lake Park
· Mount Laurel: Rehabilitation of Devonshire Park
· North Hanover: Phase V of improvements to Schoolhouse Road Park
· Palmyra: Enhancements to Grove Park
· Pemberton Borough: The installation of a tennis court
· Pemberton Township: Pedestrian footbridge to connect two parks
· Riverside: The third phase of improvements at A.A. Field
· Southampton: Improvements to Good Farm Recreation Complex
· Tabernacle: Improvements to Patty Bowker
· Westampton: Improvements to the Sports Complex
WillWillingboro: Mill Creek Park Tennis Pavilion
· Woodland: The addition of a new playground equipment and rubber mulch at School Park
· Wrightstown: Improvements to Croshaw Park
