Hammonton
Trivia Questions from the Town Sesquicentennial Committee
Page 4 • Wednesday , June 1 , 2016 • The Hammonton Gazette
Comments from the green infrastructure workshop held at NJM
GREEN , from Page 1 use of natural systems and natural design , rather than storm sewers , to manage rain , storm water and snowmelt . it enables the runoff from these natural happenings to filter in the ground where it falls and recharges underground aquifers with clean waters . it can also capture and retain this runoff for beneficial re-uses such as irrigation . Some examples of green infrastructure include : street trees , pervious pavement , rain gardens , rain barrels , green roofs , vegetated swales and bio-retention basins . Green infrastructure cleans and conserves water , reduces flooding , improves public health and beautifies neighborhoods and downtown areas such as the one in Hammonton . the workshop began with a brief introduction from New Jersey future ’ s Louise Wilson . Wilson has come before a number of local commissions over the past few months , including Hammonton ’ s town Council . after a brief overview of the day , she invited Princeton Hydro President Stephen Souza to the podium . Souza has put together management and guidance plans for over 300 lakes , ponds , rivers , estuaries and reservoirs located from florida to Massachusetts .
Souza spoke about the management of storm water in the Pinelands through various green infrastructure practices .
“ a little storm water runoff can lead to a lot of problems ,” Souza said . these problems include things such as degraded water quality , habitats and compromised ecosystems . He continued on by explaining to the crowd the benefits of implementing things such as rain gardens and rain barrels into your everyday life .
“ i ’ ve eliminated almost half of the grass at my house by planting trees and shrubs … i have two rain barrels on my property . When they fill up , i reuse the rain water for landscape-related things ,” Souza said . the next speaker was Clay emerson , also of Princeton Hydro . emerson works as a Senior Water Resources engineer and is an expert on many topics related to storm water management . He explained how engineers can create new designs that will benefit excess water and management systems .
What does all this have to do with Hammonton and its surrounding towns ? Wilson opened a question-and-answer session by asking the crowd what they ’ ve seen out in the field .
“ Most of you are professionals in these things . What are you seeing out there in South Jersey , in Hammonton , in Vineland ?” Wilson said .
Speakers fielded questions surrounding green infrastructure and ways that engineers can continue to improve on an already growing field . also on hand were Hammonton environmental Commission Chairman Robert Reitmeyer and Dan Bachalis .
“ Some of this stuff has already started to happen in Hammonton . We ’ re working really hard to get these things more into the mainstream . Once you learn more about it , you ’ ll notice different things as you drive around town . there ’ s actually a rain garden out front of the McDonald ’ s on the White Horse Pike that most people don ’ t know about ,” Reitmeyer said .
“ these are the next big ideas in Hammonton . New Jersey future and the PPa ( Pinelands Preservation alliance ) have started to come together at a number of meetings and things are really moving forward ,” Bachalis said .
THG / Kevin Troilo . To purchase photos in The Gazette , call ( 609 ) 704-1940 .
A presentation during the green infrastructure workshop on May 24 .
Hammonton
Trivia Questions from the Town Sesquicentennial Committee
Q . Where were the three movie theaters in Hammonton ?
A . The Rivoli was on the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Third Street , where 1 Trick Pony now occupies the Ockap Building . The Palace was located in the same block as the Hammonton Arts Center . The Eagle Theatre was located on Vine Street where the new Eagle Theatre is located .