Renewing parks
There is plenty to read from staff writer Joseph F. Berenato about the effort by the municipal government to renew the 11th Street Fields (formerly Thousand Points of Light Park).
The Gazette fully supports the effort to renew the 11th Street Fields and all municipal park areas. In addition to rehabbing the long-dilapidated street hockey rink—which is sure to see new action due to an upswing in interest in the sport—the basketball courts are being resurfaced as well, receiving new backboards and durable chain nets.
An irrigation pump received a new shed from the town recently and it is ready for use should the town choose to irrigate the softball fields located on 11th Street.
More good news regarding park areas came from the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting of June 15. According to Councilman Sam Rodio, all new signage being installed at Hammonton Lake Park and all other park areas throughout the town will be uniform. Rodio said a graphic designer was being used and Mayor Stephen DiDonato was spearheading that effort.
Again, we agree with the idea of creating a sense of place at all municipal parks with uniform signage, as well as uniform lighting, trash cans, benches and other highly-visible items. MainStreet Hammonton has employed this plan throughout the downtown area, and now we are seeing it spread to other areas, like the campus of St. Joseph Academy, the uptown district and Hammonton’s Little Italy.
As was the case with those three areas of town, if the municipal government treats the parks as valuable infrastructure, beautifies them and maintains them, people will flock to the parks daily.
We wish the town the best of luck as they renew the Hammonton Municipal Parks.