New Scrutiny Possible For Recreational Facilities In Moorestown

MOORESTOWN, NJ — A vote on the draft Moorestown's Open Space and Recreation Plan Element may occur on Thursday, according to a public notice issued by the municipality.

The 34-page document outlines several recreational-based positives and negatives that were previously identified by Moorestown residents and leaders. The 34-page document also contains author and Professional Planner Brian M. Slaugh's recommendations that would likely keep the positives in place (or make them even better) and eliminate the negatives.

For example, on some weekend days, a soccer game is being played at one facility in Moorestown, according to the draft plan. Simultaneously, basketball scrimmage is going on in another facility in another part of the township and at exactly the same time, a baseball practice is taking place in still another facility in a third part of the township, according to the draft plan.

Some of the township's sports facilities do not have ample on-site parking, which forces some participants and spectators to park on nearby streets, sometimes causing disruptions to nearby residents and businesses, the draft plan stated.

Based on comments from residents and leaders who attended a July 2021 meeting, "the ideal situation would be to find a way to consolidate all youth sports facilities at one location, thus allowing greater efficiency and freeing up locations for other additional uses," wrote draft plan author and Professional Planner Brian M. Slaugh.

One way to alleviate the logistics, costs and inconveniences caused by multiple sports facilities would be for the township to acquire the Holzinger and Carson Woods/Evergreens sites and build a multi-use facility at that site, according to Slaugh.

The township making such an acquisition was not immediately recommended in Slaugh's draft plan. However, the following actions were recommended by Slaugh:

• "If possible, identify a champion from the Open Space Advisory Committee to lead an outreach effort to neighborhood groups to build consensus on the development and/or expansion of recreation facilities and trails."
• "Survey current and potential users of parks and recreational facilities to identify and quantify unmet demand for open space and to project future demand for existing facilities and programs."

Those who wish to review the 34-page draft Moorestown's Open Space and Recreation Plan Element document can download it from Moorestown's website or call the township's offices to schedule a review.

Got a news tip? Story idea? Send me an email with the details at janel.miller@patch.com.