HAMMONTON—Installation of a new turf field at Moss Mill Park has been delayed, it was revealed at the monthly meeting of the Hammonton Parks and Recreation Commission.
Moss Mill Park is home for multiple St. Joseph High School sports teams and the Hammonton Youth Soccer Association (HYSA).
Councilman Steven Furgione said the turf field is done, but that the colors and stitching still need to be sown on. The machine that does the stitching for the turf broke, he said, and workers will have to switch to a different machine which will cost an “enormous amount of time,” he said.
Stitching and coloring of the turf is set to resume Aug. 21. When the first half of the turf is finished it will be sent to be laid-out, around the end of next week. After that is sent out, they will continue working on the second half and will send that out around Sept. 8 or 9.
Both the HYSA and the St. Joseph sports teams are trying to move their games to different locations during the delay.
Cori Smith is the representative for Travel HYSA and was present as a member of the public during the meeting. She was there gathering information about the delay and seeking information that would be important for the HYSA to know for the upcoming season.
The rest of the stadium is nearly ready to go. The bleachers and the press box are ready and the sound system and scoreboard will be put in when the turf is done, according to Committee member Paul Ordille. The concession stand will also take another few weeks to set up.
Scheduling for events on the turf field are being handled by Parks and Recreation leader Denise Mazzeo. The turf and other events were all approved by the Parks and Recreation Committee. Events include the Historic Society of Hammonton’s monthly meetings at the Hammonton Canoe Club the first Thursday from August to June 2024, the Soccer For Celiac event Sept. 1, Main Street Front St. Pavilion Aug. 17 and Sept. 21., and Kiwanis Pavilion on Sept. 2 for an Air Force going-away party.
There was also approval for Buena Regional High School football team to play a game at the new turf field when completed. Buena Regional is having renovations done to its field this season. The game will be on Sept. 23 with the time still to be determined.
During the meeting, the new pickleball courts located at the Hammonton Middle School were mentioned. There are questions about the layout of the pickleball and tennis courts, because on some of the courts there are pickleball lines painted parallel and others are painted perpendicular to make either tennis or pickleball the more prominent sport on that court.
Furgione said, “So you have some for pickleball and tennis that favor pickleball and then some are pickleball and tennis that favor tennis.”
The committee will wait to see how the public feels about the courts and if modifications need to be made, they can be made in the future.
Ordille said, “We’re going to wait and see, all we have to do is repaint the lines… It’s a quick fix.”
There was an update on the bicycle path going near the lake. The path is designed, but there is no timetable on installation yet; but the funding for the project is in place.
Signs to be placed at the Moss Mill Park fields were ordered. The council committee approved $3,006 for the signs.
The council brought up the dissatisfaction with the lake and the issues surrounding it.
Furgione said that there is a study being done by a Stockton intern, who will be doing a report on the lake when testing is finished. The committee also wants to try to get the water lowered again before the winter. The problems with the lake seem to be stemming from a weed called bladderwort that causes low water circulation and bad odors.
The next meeting for the Parks and Recreation Commission will be on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.