by Julie Fink, Gazette Staff Writer

HAMMONTON—The effort continues on the part of Hammonton town officials, department heads and its employees to beautify, renovate and renew its roadways, sidewalks and buildings by focusing on its parks and recreation fields.
“Two and a half years ago after Mayor [John DiDonato] first took office he realized the town’s needs were not being met in relation to recreation for the youth, as well as, the seniors,” Councilman Jerome Barberio said.
In response, the mayor created the Mayor’s Action Team and Barberio was appointed as the parks and recreation advocate.
Barberio has related experience as the Assistant Director of Public Works for Atlantic County and his past employment as a horticulturist and as a manager for a sizable production nursery in Cumberland County. It is this experience that qualifies him as a knowledgeable source for related information.
As such, Barberio has been deeply rooted in the plans to establish safe, beautiful and well-maintained recreation fields and parks throughout town.
Today as a councilman, Barberio has continued that effort in many ways including the introduction of guidelines and criteria for the maintenance of the town recreation fields and parks.
The guidelines were introduced at the April 15 Hammonton Parks and Recreation Commission meeting where it was approved and recommended to town council for adoption as the official town guidelines.
The objective of the maintenance guidelines is to maintain clean and safe parks by incorporating safety guidelines and a monthly survey program, to provide areas of turf for both recreation and leisure, to utilize the best management products to reduce chemicals and fertilizers and to integrate organic products to establish a healthy turf and a safe recreation and leisure surface for the town residents.
Specific details include that the mowing of the parks and fields should take place on a weekly basis and maintained at a minimum height of two inches.
It instructs maintenance workers to conduct weekly visits to the site to check for fence damage, walkway hazards, or any other potential safety issue.
Barberio also encourages the use of organic and low phosphorous fertilizers in the guidelines.
“Organic fertilizers can provide the athletic fields and general turf areas with adequate nutrients to maintain vigor and growth. These fertilizers provide natural slow-release and temperature released nutrients that are safer for the community. There are also some organic fertilizers that are low in phosphorous, which are better for turf around the lake,” he noted in the guideline packet.
“Our goal is to increase safety and ensure our playing fields are the best they can be. The goal is to slowly wean ourselves off of chemical fertilizers to low or no phosphorous and organic fertilizers,” he said.
Barberio hopes this encourages community members to join in the effort in helping the environment of the town by using organic or low phosphorous fertilizers.
Additionally, Barberio has been instrumental in applying for grant money through the Atlantic County Open Space and Recreation Grant Funding program, where to date the town of Hammonton had been awarded $611,000 during the eighth round for land acquisition for the purpose of creating open space and recreation.
The seventh and eighth rounds funding equals approximately $850,000 according to John Helbig of Adams, Rehmann and Heggan during testimony heard at the April 15 park and recreation commission meeting.
At that meeting the members approved and recommended for mayor and town council to take action and begin the process to move forward on the “for sale” properties on the list of round eight approvals.
Currently, the ninth round is in the review process, but the plans were very aggressive, seeking more than $4.9 million in development, according to Helbig.
The ninth round allows for development rather then just land acquisition, Barberio said.
“The ninth round is very competitive. More than 20 municipalities have requested funding,” Helbig said.
According to Barberio, the county will be offering this for the next four to five years, so he is hopeful that if they do not receive approval for all, they can continue to make the same application for the next five years.
Barberio said the application for parking and roadway improvements and the senior community center for Hammonton Lake Park are being reviewed by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission for the second time, and a response is expected in May.
Barberio explained that a Small Cities Community Block Grant was received in the amount of $400,000 for that specific project.
The efforts of all involved have lead to several projects at the Hammonton Lake Park, including the installation of Clean Flo, the creation of a plan and grant application to increase safer parking, create a senior community center, and to build an amphitheater and a pedestrian bridge to link the William Smith Conservation area to the park, according to Barberio.
Additionally, the grand plan at the Boyer Avenue Recreation Complex encompasses about 90 acres of recreation that would about fulfill the town’s need of Open Space and Recreation Inventory (ROSI), Barberio said.
There are plans in the works to extend sanitary sewer to the Boyer Avenue fields in order to have bathroom facilities and a concession stand and create four additional soccer fields and two baseball fields.
“With over 650 kids strong in the soccer program, it is our responsibility to make sure that they have enough proper playing fields that are safe to play on so that they can continue the amazing program they have established,” he said.
The football and little league programs have made it known that they are happy staying at the Hammonton Lake Park facility, according to Barberio.
“But the little league wanted to expand a little and that is why two baseball fields are proposed at the Boyer Avenue complex,” he said.
According to Barberio, he believes the Boyer Avenue fields will fill the town’s need quite well. Time is just needed to plan, create and find funding sources, he said.
The 11th Street fields will eventually be moved to Boyer Avenue and put on the market for sale as an industrial zoned parcel of land, according to Barberio.
Currently, work is being done at the parks and fields to begin the spring season.
According to Recreation Supervisor Lou Rodio, the playground mulch at the Hammonton Lake Park has been replaced at a capacity of 12 inches in depth compacted to ten inches and the athletic fields have been cut and fertilized with a low phosphorous mix.
The roadways have been cleaned by the street sweeper and the bathrooms are now open, he continued.
“The other flowerbeds are currently being prepared to receive mulch,” he said.
At the Eleventh Street recreation fields, new infield mix has been applied and some repair work has been completed to the batters box.
Veterans Park has been mowed and the flowerbeds have been mulched.
The highway department is currently working on removing the weeds and preparing the beds for mulch to the remaining parks at Front Street, Leo Club, Key Club and Columbus Park, according to Rodio.
The irrigation systems located at some of the parks are scheduled to become operational this week, he continued.
Each year the Hammonton Garden Club usually becomes involved in some of the plantings at the parks, but to date it has not been coordinated with Rodio.
“I believe they will continue to help, they just haven’t contacted me yet,” he said.