It’s a common sight to see when snow falls in Medford.
Kids of all ages carry their sleds to Tomlinson Park across from the Pinelands Branch Library, where a small hill swoops downward toward Rancocas Creek. The hill is one of the most popular sledding spots in Medford.
Some residents also consider it one of the most dangerous sledding spots in Medford.
Resident Mike Panarella spoke at the Medford Township council meeting on Jan. 20 expressing concern about the safety of kids who sled at Tomlinson Park. He wanted to make council aware of how many kids are putting themselves in harms way at the site.
Councilman Brad Denn agrees with Panarella, saying the hill is very dangerous for multiple reasons. The biggest one is the danger lying at the bottom of the hill. At the hill’s steepest point, kids are sent sliding into a thicket of trees and very close to the Rancocas Creek’s river bank.
“I went there once and I wouldn’t go back again,” Denn said. “There’s trees and other stuff at the bottom.”
The other issue is kids walking in the area. The park is located near the intersection of Allen Avenue and Main Street. Between the heavy traffic moving along Main Street and cars constantly coming and going near the library, it presents a potentially dangerous situation for pedestrians.
Despite the danger, there’s nothing the township can do to prevent kids from sledding down the hill.
“It’s public property, so anyone can go there,” Denn said.
Panarella’s plea to council was to look at possibly constructing a sledding hill somewhere in the township.
“It’s not that hard to put together a sledding hill,” Panarella said. “Almost all of our surrounding towns have it.”
Denn agrees a sledding hill is necessary for the kids to have a safe place to have fun in the snow. Following last Monday’s snow, Denn took his own kids sledding, but said the only safe places to go are various small hills. Those small hills don’t amount to a lot of fun, especially for older kids.
“We definitely need one in the town,” Denn said. “It’s just a question of how do you it and how can you afford it.”
Those two questions present large obstacles to putting a sledding hill in. Denn said it would be tough for the township to find space in the budget to pay for such a project.
The actual planning of the project would also take some time.
“We’d have to look at different engineering ideas,” Denn said. “It definitely needs to be put somewhere where there is a parking lot. You can’t have cars parked next to plowed streets.”
Despite the many challenges constructing a sledding hill could bring, Panarella feels it could be a great gesture for the township to make.
“I was hoping this group would be known to do something for the kids before they leave,” he said.
Denn said construction of a sledding hill will not happen in the foreseeable future. He realizes kids from around the township will continue to flock to Tomlinson Park to fill their sledding needs. His hope is kids stay safe and look for other locations to have fun in the snow.
