The township agreed to preserve the Masonic Lodge property earlier this week
Last night the Freeholder Board unanimously voted to endorse the Camden County Open Space Advisory Board’s recommendation to preserve 4.7-acres of open space in the Brookfield neighborhood. The investment by the county will ensure that this contiguous piece of property, adjacent to the Cherry Hill American Little League complex, will expand park and recreation options for perpetuity.
“This greenspace plays a vital role in the Cherry Hill community and will now become and asset for residents throughout the county,” said Freeholder Jeffrey Nash, liaison to the Camden County Parks Department. “Any time we can work with a town to save open space threatened by development it enhances the quality of life for residents.”
The former USS New Jersey Masonic Lodge №62 site in Cherry Hill will be demolished and linked to the existing neighborhood and recreational complex through a $1.4 million grant from the county open space fund. The county will have a certain percentage of the grant reimbursed through the state Green Acres Fund in the future. The transaction for preservation also includes a real estate transaction in Cherry Hill where Advanced Recovery Services LLC will locate its operation into a redevelopment zone on Cuthbert Boulevard.
Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. commented on the work Mayor Chuck Cahn did to ensure a much needed behavior health treatment center in Camden County.
“In this day and age this facility will provide an extraordinary service to the community as we can continue to battle the scourge of opioid addiction,” said Cappelli, founder of the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force. “I applaud the mayor and town council for their work on this issue and their commitment to ensuring ARS would be able to provide its services to residents throughout the county afflicted by this disease.”
The Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force works with members of the community in healthcare, law enforcement and family advocates to educate, treat and preserve sobriety for those afflicted by the national opioid epidemic. To find out more about the task force or to get involved go to our website at http://addictions.camdencounty.com/.
Mayor Chuck Cahn explained the investment as a win-win for the township and the county.
“The Freeholder’s support and assistance in working to preserve this property has been invaluable. We are thrilled to have achieved such a positive outcome for our community,” Cahn said. “I want to thank the board for their willingness to stand together with myself and the members of Council, to benefit the residents of Cherry Hill.”
