Gribbin expresses his thoughts on indoor rec facility
Wednesday, February 12, 2014 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3
GRIBBIN, from Page 1
paign in the fall, and has continued to ask for input on the subject
as he has become a councilman
again in 2014.
“i talked to a number of people
as i was running for election and
after the election, and since taking
office about the need for an indoor
center, where a lot more kids can
use to continue playing, which
would normally be spring, summer or fall sports. and also with
the loss of any type of pool in
town, residents travel to Vineland
or other areas that have indoor
pools, and that was another option. for those that run or walk on
the track at the Hammonton Lake
Park, they might not be so in-
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clined to do so in weather that we
have been having. With the success that i have seen with these
types of facilities in other towns,
a lot of people that i spoke to felt
that it would be a successful venture in Hammonton,” Gribbin
said.
When Gribbin mentioned the
idea of an indoor recreational facility at the January 27 town
council meeting, he said it was to
attempt to organize a committee
and to see what it would take to
make this vision into reality.
“it wasn’t to take any other action at this point, other than looking into what steps need to be
taken to design this project, complete this project, take input from
the public, find out what are the
needs and i think also another option to look at is a phase project,”
Gribbin said.
One of the phases Gribbin
would like to include in the indoor recreational project would
be to add soccer and football astroturf fields to the facility. He
brainstormed what the project
phases could entail.
“they can be used for a variety
of sports, and around the fields
we could put a track there. and
then from there, we can have a
phase to put the pool in and have
that be all one phase. if there is
room to expand depending on
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where we locate the project and it
does move forward, then we have
a phase project and we may add
something else that the residents
propose. for example, we could
add in indoor tennis courts, something of that effect,” Gribbin said.
Gribbin did allude to the fact
that one of the main concerns of
this proposed project is funding.
He doesn’t want to partake in a
project that would raise taxes for
the residents.
“this can be a project that can
be accomplished through private
or grant funding, whether the
county wants to help us or a private investor eventually takes the
project over. it is something i feel
would not only benefit the residents, but also it would also benefit the town as a whole because it
would also benefit the town businesses. if we would be able to
draw in residents from other
towns, come to Hammonton to
have a soccer tournament or game
at an indoor facility, that in turn is
going to benefit our businesses locally,” Gribbin said.
Still, this proposed indoor recreational facility is a preliminary
idea, but it has been well-received
by the people Gribbin has spoken
to, he said. it has been an idea that
has been discussed in the past.
“i would like to just facilitate it
from the talking phase to actually
putting something down on paper
to see what steps need to be taken
to see this goal accomplished. So,
that is why i have asked for the
public to contact me. Leave me a
message on my council voicemail
(567-7000, ext. 405). Leave me an
email at my council email address
([email protected]), and i want to know if
they are i