PENNSAUKEN — A riverside playground in a Camden County park is getting $2.5 million in renovations.
The upgrade is needed due to heavy use of the play area off North Park Drive in Cooper River Park, said county commissioner Jeff Nash.
“This playground is in perpetual use, which is exactly why we built it,” Nash said. “So, it’s satisfying to know how many kids have played on it and how many families have made memories here.
"That said, because of the volume, it was time for a facelift for this beloved place," he said in a statement Thursday.
Work on the upgrade is to begin in July, for completion in November.
The project will include installation of new playground and fitness areas.
Other elements include: Poured-in-place rubber with an underdrain system; concrete sidewalks to help pedestrian circulation; and construction of a drinking fountain, waste receptacles, shade structure, picnic tables and benches.
The project will include electrical and plumbing utility work for a new irrigation system and drinking fountains, as well as topsoil, weeding and other landscaping changes.
Pennsauken also making upgrades
Pennsauken Mayor Marco DiBattista said the work is a "cherry on top" of a facility already doing a lot for residents from across the area.
"We have really put a huge push for outdoor spaces," DiBattista said. "And to have the county jump in on one of these locations is paramount for our residents. .... We realize how important it is for people to get outside and be healthy. And these guys get the same thing to. Which is really nice to share the same narrative, you know?"
DiBattista said the township, on its own, has been doing other projects such as a $3 million renovation going on at the public pool.
"We’ve redone a state-of-the-art skateboard park," the mayor said. "We have a dedicated pickleball facility. And we just received a grant for a Jake’s Place Park at a new library/municipal building complex."
State grants are funding the work at the county's William G. Rohrer Children's Playground.
Cooper River Park, the most heavily used of the county's park system, reaches into Pennsauken, Cherry Hill, Collingswood and Haddon Township. Popular with walkers, joggers and picnickers, the 347-acre park includes a boathouse, a yacht club, a stadium, and bike trails.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
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