New Committee to Advise on Harding Parks

The Township is creating a new committee -- Citizens' Parks Advisory Committee (CPAC).  The mission of CPAC is to advise the TC on the operation and maintenance of four parks -- Bayne Park, Memorial Park, the Show Grounds and Barrett Field. CPAC may include one representative each from the Garden Club, Shade Tree Commission, Environmental Commission, HOST, Harding Land Trust, Bridal Path, Recreation Association, Wildlife Management Committee, Department of Public Works, and 1-3 at large members. A statement of purpose will be drafted by Committee member Lou Lanzerotti and Mike Meade, who headed the Bayne Park committee, sort of a forerunner to CPAC. Like all committees, CPAC will have no budget authority. Rather it will gather public input, develop plans for the parks, determine if those plans are able to be serviced by the DPW (considering recent downsizing) and come up with an alternate plan, especially including volunteers, if DPW cannot. On the subject of volunteers, committee member Nick Platt was commended for leading the successful crew of volunteers that did landscaping and maintenance at Margett’s Field and the (former) Von Zuben property (corner of Blue Mill Rd and James St).