Evesham looks to build walking path around fields at Memorial Sports Complex
With Evesham’s new M2 turf soccer field project recently completed, and money remaining in the project’s bond ordinance, the township’s focus has now turned to other possible improvements to the field and Memorial Sports Complex.
Specifically, Evesham Township Council has instructed township officials to explore creating a new walking path to loop around the complex and even connect across New Road to the Diamonds at Arrowhead Park softball complex and municipal complex.
Councilmember Ken D’Andrea, who also serves as commissioner of the Marlton Soccer program, which originally agreed to pay for 25 percent of the costs of installing the turf field, explained the path idea.
He said the path would travel down the tree line from New Road, up through to the M2 field, looping back to a small workout station area, ultimately working down to the fence line on New Road, connecting with another path, working across New Road to the Diamonds at Arrowhead Park and then again work its way back.
Along the way, D’Andrea said there could be mile markers for those using the path for walking exercises.
“The idea is half mile, three quarter mile, one mile, so when people are walking they have an idea outside of having a pedometer with them,” D’Andrea said.
Director of community development Nancy Jamanow said she has met with representatives of the township’s seniors group and environmental commission to get input on a potential path and said both groups’ representatives were excited about the idea.
“They wanted to have a path that had areas for seating along it, just benches and such, and they would like areas where there could be naturalized landscaping, native species and the other suggestions, too, horseshoes somewhere or bocce,” Jamanow said.
In addition to the path, D’Andrea said another important upgrade would be safety netting along the side of the M2 field that borders the complex’s playground and concession area.
“The path, to me, and the netting, somehow between the two of them, they are the top two,” D’Andrea said.
Other possible improvements D’Andrea noted were replacing water fountains at the concession stands, enhancing the LeRoy Homer Memorial and flagpole, getting Internet-based security cameras for the fields to prevent vandalism and doing more upkeep to the restroom areas.
“With the increased usage over at the park, as more and more people come, especially when we have a path and everything completed, there’s going to be an abundance of individuals there and with that should require some extra attention,” D’Andrea said.
Mayor Randy Brown noted there are some weekends where both soccer and football games are going on at the complex at the same time, and it becomes a situation where hundreds if not thousands of people frequent the area.
Brown also raised the possibility of elongating trails in the woods between the municipal complex and Briarwood sub-development to potentially connect with the new path created at the Memorial Sports Complex.
“Runners would now use that loop, and Cherokee could use it as their cross country trail,” Brown said.
Evesham Township manager Tom Czerniecki said he’s been in other townships that have created such a trail system and believed the community would enjoy it.
“People who use nothing else love trails, especially if they can actually get from one place to another,” Czerniecki said.
