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Estell Manor proposes building sports fields
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ESTELL MANOR - Local residents and officials are considering whether to build a recreational complex.
City Council has applied for - and received - a $328,000 grant from the Atlantic County open-space program, and city officials propose using that money to construct sports fields in the woods behind City Hall and next to the Estell Manor School. Engineer Chuck Fralinger said the complex will include two multipurpose sports fields, a walking trail around the perimeter, a 59-space parking lot and a drainage basin.
Mayor Joe Venezia estimated the fields would cost $7,000 to $10,000 per year to maintain. He said the city could look for volunteers to hold fundraisers for the upkeep and he has no intention of using city money to pay for the complex. Venezia added that he supports the project, and, if approved, he hopes construction could start by the end of the year.
More than 40 people showed up Wednesday for a public hearing on the proposal. Most of them spoke in favor of the project.
Christopher Wolcott, 14, said having a recreation complex would give local children a new, more convenient place to go.
"All the kids ride in the street with their bikes, or walk in the middle of the street because there are no sidewalks," Wolcott said. "So it will keep kids off the street and out of danger."
While soccer would be the primary sport played on the fields, Martin Klosek, president of the West Atlantic County Youth League, said the complex could be used for other activities as well, such as picnics, community events and leisurely walks. Klosek said the league has about 130 to 150 children, and the complex is much needed because the teams cannot play at the Atlantic County park for the entire season.
The six dissenters at the meeting were concerned about the possible environmental and financial impacts.
Albert and Debra Sorg, who live across the street from City Hall, were afraid the complex would change the rural quality of the neighborhood. Albert Sorg said he thinks an environmental impact study should be done and he is afraid the fields would draw Canada geese, require cutting down many trees and cause drainage problems. "This quaint village will blend right in with the modern school," he said.
Sorg added that the city should work with the Estell Manor School District, Weymouth officials and the county park to better utilize the existing sports fields.
Paul Scull, a 70-year-old retired plumber, said he was against the complex because he fears it may lead to higher taxes and he is on a fixed income. Scull added that there has been talk about installing bathrooms and a concession stand in the future and he wonders where the funding would come for those proposals. "I can't stand financial surprises," he said.
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What's next
The Estell Manor City Council will vote on creating a recreational complex at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall, 148 Cumberland Ave.
Posted in Atlantic on Saturday, July 4, 2009 3:05 am
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