CNB APRIL 2013 ARCHIVES: Bellmawr's Sauter Park Has New Playground Equipment
Tuesday, October 09, 2018
published April 2013
Meandering w/ Mark Matthews:
Bellmawr's Sauter Park on Park Drive in the Crescent Park section of town is in the final stages of having new playground equipment installed. Thanks in part to a grant from the Camden County Freeholders plus the hard work of Bellmawr's employees, the project includes tough timber borders, rubber mulch, new climbing equipment, and is positioned to reuse the existing swing frames.
On a visit today (4/20/2013) the only things that seemed to remain are putting the swings in place, and some surrounding landscape work.
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful spring day, and many young families and children were already out taking full advantage of the new playground equipment.
Like most pubic gathering places, Sauter Park has experienced some night time vandalism over the years, so also coming this spring are police monitored security cameras, some of which will be placed in the Sauter Park area to keep an eye on things. Let's all work together to monitor and watch out for the park and all of Bellmawr.
I remember as a kid in the late 70s when the Sauter Park property was actually about 8 ft below street level, and the large basketball court area and swings were already long past their prime. Over the years the town has done a great job in recognizing the value this property can bring to the community, and invested wisely in expanding its use. Decades ago it was a place for only teens to hang out, and now it is a park that is utilized by Bellmawr residents of all ages. A nuisance really has been turned into a gem for the town.
My wife and I looking forward to taking our new granddaughter Maya to the park later in the summer. At 3 months old, she's still a little too young for the park's activities but maybe by the fall...
Continue on for pictures of the park!
Area for bigger grade school kids
Area for smaller children
Variety of slides!
Just waiting for swings!
A close up of the rubber mulch
My granddaughter Maya. Let's all take care of the park so little ones like Maya can get a chance to play!
Update: Went by the park on 4/22 and the swings were up.
How about a story on the new playground in Gloucester ?? Its on Park Ave at Highland park school . I think its the old one from St Marys .. Turned out nice lets give mayor some criedt for this one . Still need swings and some benches but its been a long time coming for the area.
We are at the start of a nice stretch of warm weather, so I will definitely stop over and check it out in the next few days and see where the posting goes.
If you have any info on how the playground came about (grant, town budget), please let me know. I'll do some googling, which is where I get 95% of my info.
And thanks for the suggestion!
Mark
[email protected]
Mark
I remember reading something about the Park Ave. playground costing $100,000 to erect?
I am curious do you know how much it cost to fix up the Sauter playground
Why you are at it, would you also take look at the Fort Nassau Playground, on Johnson Blvd, across from Martins Lake, Gloucester City.
I like to hear what you think of that playground too.
Swing Set...
I honestly have no clue what the total cost is of the Bellmawr project. I've noticed the construction over the late winter, and one day last week noticed that kids playing so I snapped a few pics. The information on the grant was me simply googling. If you have other info, please send.
Funny you mention Fort Nassau. I've read comments about that playground. I believe some want to take it down? I'd need to go look closer. But I drove by it today on my way home from work (on my way to park someone else mentioned), and I did take a slightly deeper look at the ol' Fort. My first thought was, how is it that these impressive timber playground projects can go from such a huge community pride project, to then people wanting to tear down? First community shouts "Let's band together and build a playground!". Then its "Let's band together to tear it down!"
I think it was Bill Cleary himself who was calling for it to be torn down. I'm not saying he's wrong, just wondering how something so positive could become a negative.
http://www.gloucestercitynews.net/clearysnotebook/2011/12/fort-nassau-should-be-demolished-the-playground-has-too-many-safety-issues.html
It only takes a small group of destructive kids born to uncaring parents to make a safe haven a hang-out for partying and drug use.
Good parenting and strong policing is required to preserve our assets. We have neither. I was right behind a police car as he/she drove past our tennis courts. We both saw the skate-boarders using it for their tricks which only destroys that smoothe surface.
Highland Park...why give credit to the mayor? The land and funds were donated, he had nothing to do with it.
SWING SET... looked up the Bellmawr 2012 budget last night, had a line item of $47,000 for "Playground Rehabilitation" (going from memory)
There were no breakdowns of what that represented.