After years of delays and debate, the completion of two long-time projects will be coming to Moorestown in 2014.
Mayor Stacey Jordan expressed her excitement as she said the new town hall is finally scheduled for completion this year. In addition, the township expects to finish final touches on the new Church Road recreation center, which held its grand opening in December.
Moorestown has been without a town hall since the summer of 2007, when a fire burned down the old building. Since then, the township has been working out of temporary offices.
Jordan said two or three prior councils tossed about the idea of a new building, but plans were never finalized. She said one of her main goals when she took office as mayor was to finally move forward and complete the project.
“Everyone I’ve talked to is happy and is excited to finally have this building finished,” she said.
Jordan said construction is on time and on budget for the building.
“We’re still looking at a mid-April completion date,” she said. “It’s going to take a few weeks to get everyone settled in, but we should be fully operational by the end of May.”
Meanwhile, the township celebrated the grand reopening of its recreation center on Dec. 7 with numerous ceremonies.
“It was a really neat thing to see the whole community there, and it’s a beautiful building,” Jordan said.
The rec center was not fully operational when the grand opening was held. Jordan said the final touches are being finalized. It is now open to visitors and the final touches are expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
The completion of these new buildings is the biggest project for the council this year. Jordan said completing these projects and maintaining other buildings in the township are the top priority for 2014.
“You can keep building new and more, but if you can’t maintain them, then what’s the sense of having them?” Jordan asked.
The township’s hope is to improve programs for residents with their existing infrastructure. One example would be with the new recreation center. Jordan foresees the township expanding its recreational programs this year thanks to the newly renovated space.
“Our goal is to have it used as much as possible with programs and kids,” Jordan said.
Jordan also added that the gym at the rec center could have a sponsor similar to the township’s fields. However, sponsorship of other township buildings is not something council is looking at.
One big issue council plans to look at in the next few months is Strawbridge Lake. Residents made a number of complaints at the end of 2013 about problems stemming with deterioration of the lake.
“It has been deteriorating with sediment buildup,” Jordan said. “We have to kind of look into it to see what is happening back there.”
Jordan also said a pay-for-play ordinance will not be up for discussing in the near future in Moorestown. Council is waiting on New Jersey to act on the issue before discussing further changes.
Council’s goal isn’t to go out looking for new projects or big changes in 2014. Rather, the focus will be on keeping residents happy.
“We want to give the quality of life that our residents expect,” Jordan said.
