Lockwood – 2020 Vision for Middle Township Recreation

In many ways, Middle Township’s recreation programs are the face of our community. For young families, the Rec may be the first meaningful interaction residents have with Middle Township government. For visiting teams and tournaments, our recreation facilities should make a great first impression.
When our teams and coaches go on the road, their appearance and conduct should be top notch. They are ambassadors for our programs and our town. As I speak to residents while campaigning, many believe we should be doing a better job of running our recreation programs, maintaining our facilities and caring for our fields and grounds.
Day to day management of the Recreation Department can and should be improved by strong leadership, ongoing training and sound management principles. We will get this cleaned up, and quickly. But to truly make our programs the best they can be, we need a plan. As a cornerstone of my 2020 vision for Middle Township, I’ve reached out to residents for their ideas and referenced the Recreation and Open Space Study I commissioned as your Mayor in 2013. The details of the plan would be developed in partnership with our Recreation Advisory Board.
The plan I’ve developed, with your input, calls for a mixture of traditional and nontraditional recreational opportunities that will not only improve the quality of life for our residents, but also leverage our abundant natural resources and access to waterways to attract visitors, tournaments and tourist dollars to our community. Studies have shown that excellent recreation facilities, proximity to bike paths and improved access to waterways and open spaces increase the property values of our homes and businesses. These proposed investments make good sense for our ratable base and our quality of life.
2020 Vision Plan for Middle Township Recreation and Open Space
1. Take advantage of historically low interest rates to borrow funds to upgrade, expand and modernize our existing facilities in Goshen, Whitesboro and Rio Grande. These plans will include expanded fields and practice space for our lacrosse program and wrestling program.
2. Maintain strong oversight of the Robert “Ockie” Wisting (Fort Apache) Recreation Complex project, now under construction, to bring the project to completion on time and on budget. Seek public input on future amenities there that will offer outdoor activities for our large and growing senior population in the Rio Grande area.
3. Continue to expand and improve on our bike path system. In the last few years, we have garnered funding to take our path down to Satt Boulevard in Rio Grande. Working in partnership with Lower Township, we received funding from the county to connect our bike path with Lower Township’s path and the DRBA bike path to the Ferry. We have received preliminary approval of county funds to expand the bike path northward to connect with a planned bike path in Dennis Township. My plan calls for new spurs to be constructed off of these paths that will tie into campgrounds and neighborhoods, and point cyclists towards local businesses as well.
4. Seek funding for an addition to the MLK Community Center in Whitesboro to construct a multi-purpose building that would be built to hurricane shelter standards. In a time of need, this would serve as an emergency shelter for the community. All other times, this would provide an additional, indoor basketball court and space for other community based programs in Whitesboro.
5. Seek funding through the County Open Space Program to improve access and provide amenities that encourage residents and visitors alike to enjoy our beaches, bays and waterways. Nature trails and birding towers, along with kayak drops and improved fishing piers, would allow us to take advantage of the great natural beauty of Middle Township in ways that protect the environment while providing better access and bringing visitors to our area.
6. Explore a public-private partnership to bring an aquatic center to Middle Township. Middle Township could provide the land to help encourage the development of a year-round pool and exercise facility. The Railroad Avenue recreation site in Rio Grande would be one possibility.
7. Petition the county for a branch of the Cape May County Library in Rio Grande. This could be a hybrid facility that could be part library/part community center, offering after school programs for young adults and a variety of services for our seniors.
8. Set aside easily accessible, open space to construct a dog park for our four-legged friends.
9. Explore cost saving options like the privatization of grounds-keeping and landscaping services, more public-private partnerships and energy saving upgrades to our existing facilities.
10. All these steps should be tied into a larger vision of economic development for Middle Township. We must work with our neighboring towns and the county to attract visitors and businesses alike. By linking great recreational facilities and amenities to our growing eco/agri-tourism related businesses and our existing business base, we can build a real and lasting synergy that will help grow our economy while expanding and improving the recreational opportunities for all of our residents.
Dan Lockwood – Former Mayor/Candidate for Township Committee
To learn more, visit my Facebook page at 2020 Vision for Middle Township.
PAID FOR BY LOCKWOOD FOR COMMITTEE 2016 – 9 N. Boyd St., CMCH, NJ 08210