The Hammonton Gazette 071614 Edition | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, July 16, 2014 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” Gabriel J. donio, Publisher Gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief dan russoman, Sports Editor benny Mendez, Staff Artist Marysusan hoffman, paul J. Macrie iV, Michael hozik, donna brown, Joseph bruno, Lauren bucci, Lauren crescenzo, Zack brown, Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 bellevue ave. to reach a staff member, call 704-1940 or fax at 704-1938. the mailing address is p.o. box 1228, hammonton, nJ 08037. editoriaLs The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. ISSN 1093-6181 Kiwanis club rising With the announcement of the Hammonton Kiwanis Club's plans for the revitalization of the passive recreation areas of Hammonton Lake Park and last week's effort to revitalize Key Club Park across from the Hammonton Post Office, it can officially be said: the club, one of Hammonton's longestrunning civic organizations, is on the rise. Longtime members have successfully recruited new, younger members. Projects like Key Club Park, which was established in 1965 and is looking great since last week's facelift (more improvements are coming) and the ones moving forward at Hammonton Lake Park are bringing club members together with the municipality and the entire community. It has been fun to watch, and it will continue to be a pleasure to watch this club grow and reassert itself as a dynamic force for good in the town. We are particularly enthusiastic about the plans for the passive recreation areas at Hammonton Lake Park. While the park is town-owned and benefits from the support of the municipality, the ballfields are maintained by volunteers of the Hammonton Little League and Hammonton Hawks. The town and volunteers have renewed the Captain Gerard Palma Playground. The Hammonton Exchange Club maintains its building at the park. The townowned and operated Hammonton Canoe Club is supported by an enthusiastic group of volunteers and members as well. The town has expanded parking and built a walking trail at the park. Now, the last phase of the revitalization of the park will be completed, with the Kiwanis Club leading the way. The barbecue pavilion that was originally built by them and later given to the town will be completely overhauled so a new generation can use it for barbecues, family reunions and more. Additional plans call for cleaning up the band pavilion, adding some health park equipment and additional improvements. The town will help, but the goal is to raise donations of money and services to make the revitalization of this area of the park as successful as the revitalization efforts happening downtown and uptown. We envision the passive recreation area being revitalized by the Hammonton Kiwanis Club as a place where people will gather under shade trees, listen to a band concert on a grassy area in a beach chair or on a picnic blanket, cook in a restored pavilion, all in a setting and with buildings that evoke the great camps of the early 20th century. It is only fitting that the local Kiwanians, whose club dates back to 1922 in Hammonton, are working to bring that beautiful area of Hammonton Lake Park back to life, as well as Key Club Park. The Gazette extends congratulations to the Kiwanis Club and wishes them continued success in all their efforts. stockton goes local When The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey opened Kramer Hall on Front Street, they made a $5 million investment in Hammonton. Now they are asking local businesses, civic clubs and individuals to give to a scholarship fund that will benefit students who graduate from Hammonton or St. Joseph High Schools and attend Stockton College or are undergraduate students from the Hammonton area. The Hammonton Scholarship Endowment is a worthy cause. Local businesses, clubs, foundations and individuals should strongly consider donating to it. Local students will benefit, and if the college raises $100,000, it will be able to give out a $4,000 scholarship annually, according to Stockton College's Leadership Annual Giving Coordinator Nicholas Sena. Sena told The Gazette that the college will use its institutional fund to put in another $4,000, raising the annual Hammonton Scholarship to $8,000. The co-chairpersons of the steering committee for the scholarship both have strong Hammonton ties. Charles Kramer and Dr. Johanna Johnson are the cochairs and will be working to help raise the needed funds. Stockton continues to connect with Hammonton, making their slogan for the scholarship "Distinctively Stockton/Hammonton Proud" an excellent one for this new initiative. As their stature continues to grow in Hammonton, we know Stockton will continue to be embraced in every quarter of the town. Their campaign for funds that will benefit local residents should be a successful one. For more information on the Hammonton Scholarship Endowment, contact Sena at 652-4789. to the editor: Letters to the editor I would like to express my delight with the July 2 edition of The Gazette that included a supplement titled, “Capturing the Town’s Natural Beauty.” Kelly Hunt brought to the forefront what frequently goes unnoticed in our workaday world. Her phenomenal photographs of Hammonton’s flower and fauna are testimony to the biodiversity of our ecosystem here in the Pinelands. We should all take time out to appreciate nature. We should become stewards and do whatever we can to preserve our environment. We should extend our knowledge of it, we should promote native plant species and animal life by planting gardens, we should conserve open space, and we should prevent pollution. Thank you for presenting a pastoral view of Hammonton. to the editor: Linda M. esposito hammonton I write this letter with a heavy heart and sadness that is usually reserved for a family member. Atlantic County lost a steward of the people, a protector of the tax payer and outstanding family man. For those of you who didn’t know Joe Nickels, there were two competing perceptions of him. If you were an honest hardworking elected official, you and Joe were going to be good pals. Joe would call you up and pick your brain and together you and he would try to iron out solutions to the many problems that faced Atlantic County residents. On the other hand, if you were an elected official who practiced back door deals or pursued office solely for financial gain, Joe was you worst nightmare. In a country where scandal is common and the rule of law is laughed at, having a Joe Nickels meant that this might occur in another county, but look out if you tried those practices here. The qualities Joe possessed are the same ones I try to teach my children everyday. He believed in honesty, honor, pride, compassion and hard work. Joe personified these values everyday of his life. I for one, thank God for the time I had with Joe and the knowledge I was able to obtain from him. I would like to thank the Nickels family for lending Joe to all of us in Atlantic County. God Bless you Joe, we will all miss you. Quote of the Week: Joe Mcdevitt Ventnor “to one who has faith, no expLanation is necessary. to one without faith, no expLanation is possibLe.” — Thomas Aquinas The Hammonton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor that are no more than 800 words long. All letters m ust include the name of the author and an address and telephone number for verification. Letters should be mailed to The Hammonton Gazette, Editorial Page, P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Letters also will be accepted via fax. The fax number is 704-1938.  Or by email to [email protected]. Deadline for all submissions is 2 p.m. Monday. The Hammonton Gazette reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions expressed in letters, perspectives or in guest columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Hammonton Gazette.  The Gazette is not responsible for factual errors in letters, perspectives or in guest columns. The Gazette retains the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.