Cherry Hill to put focus on park upgrades, economic development in 2015.
Neighborhoods across Cherry Hill will see plenty of upgrades in 2015.
From upgrades to tennis courts at Barton Elementary School and Cherry Hill High School West to a pickleball court at Lions Den Park, there will be many park improvements made this year.
Commuters along Old Orchard Road will see the continuation of a multi-year reconstruction project.
In addition, Cherry Hill will continue to focus on economic development in areas from Route 70 to Haddonfield Road.
Township officials hope residents see and take advantage of some of the upgrades coming to the township this year.
Park and recreation upgrades
Director of communications Bridget Palmer said Cherry Hill is making upgrades to its parks a major priority in 2015.
“These are things people use, and we want people to get out and stay active,” she said.
The township will be performing a series of upgrades in both the spring and summer. The upgrades include repaved tennis courts at Barton School and Cherry Hill West, improvements to the multi-use fields at Croft, replacement of the softball backstop, basketball court and pavilion at Kenilworth Park, and installation of a pickleball court at Lions Den Park.
The township is covering the cost of the upgrades through a combination of capital improvement money, community development block grants and other open space grants.
The Cherry Hill Trail Crew will also continue to make upgrades to trails around the township this year.
Economic development
One of the biggest stories in Cherry Hill last year was council’s request for the planning board to conduct studies at four gateway properties near Routes 38 and 70 to see if they would qualify as area in need of redevelopment. Three of the four areas are home to motels, while the fourth area is the former Saunders Publishing complex.
The planning board is still investigating those four sites.
“At some point in 2015, they’ll come back with their findings with a recommendation to council,” Palmer said. “We’ll continue to focus on general revitalization of those sites.”
The township does not plan to conduct any new planning board studies in 2015, but Palmer said the township will still be paying attention to development.
“There’s been a lot of work on Haddonfield Road,” she said. “We’re hoping to see work on the old Syms Department Store site on Route 70.”
Changes for Earth Festival, new sustainability event in works
The township is making small changes to Earth Festival, one of its largest community events of the year.
Previously, the festival was held in conjunction with Art Blooms, an exhibit featuring the work of artists from Cherry Hill and the surrounding area.
This year, Art Blooms will take place from May 2 through May 16, a week after Earth Festival on April 25.
The township is also looking to give the schools a larger role in Earth Festival this year.
“We’re looking to add to Earth Festival and incorporate the schools a little bit more,” Palmer said.
Along the sustainability front, the township is having preliminary discussions of possibly hosting a new sustainability summit sometime in 2015. Palmer said nothing is set in stone with regard to the proposed event.
“It’s something we indicated we’ve wanted to do for a few years,” she said.
More information on the proposed summit could be available in the coming months.
Old Orchard Road construction to continue
The township is moving forward with the second phase of the Old Orchard Road reconstruction project this year.
“Phase one is complete,” Palmer said. “We just awarded the contract for phase two.”
The first phase of the project ran from Route 70 to Highgate Lane. This year, the project will continue south from Highgate Lane down to Evans Lane. Construction will begin in early to mid spring.
The Old Orchard Road reconstruction is being paid for through state Department of Transportation grants. The township is doing the project over the course of phases because of the length of the road.
The township is preparing to go out to bid on phase three this year. Phase three will run from Evans Lane to Thornhill Road near Sharp Elementary School.
Website upgrade planned
Cherry Hill is planning to redesign its website early this year. Palmer said the redesign will streamline the site to make it more user-friendly. Work will begin on the redesign soon.
“Our goal is to do it before Memorial Day,” Palmer said.
Subtle changes have been made to the website the last few years since its last major redesign in 2012. Last year, the township added a social media box to the homepage to help promote its Facebook page and Twitter handle.
The township is also upgrading its GIS mapping services this year in hopes of tracking its resources better.
