| Work Detail |
City Council unanimously approved plans proposed by the city’s Green Team to improve a neighborhood park. Council President received a 6-0 vote – Councilman Patrick Sheeran was absent – on a proposal to improve the triangle park bordered by Morton, Traymore and Breakers avenues. The park is in the Absecon Estates section of the city, about 1,500 feet away from the White Horse Pike. “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” said Council President Chris Seher. Green Team president Brad Smith said the organization first considered the park for improvements in 2015. The Green Team received a $2,000 grant in February to pay for improvements but wasn’t sure on which way to go. Smith said the Green Team had considered a community garden, but ended up by going in a different direction. “We decided to engage the students,” he said, noting that Absecon Superintendent Theresa DeFranco has incorporated a STEAM – science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics – program at the schools. Eighth-grade teacher Barbara Horner brought the students together and they came up with six ideas for park improvements, he said. Those ideas were combined and in July two students – Sydney Gillette and Pranami Patel - made a hands-on presentation to the Green Team. “We were blown away,” Smith said. Architect and Green Team member Bob Preston said the park’s natural design pointed toward a walkway and flower pattern toward the eastern portion of the park. “It’s easy to maintain,” he said. “People enter the park from Traymore and Breakers avenue.” The plan is for a circle of flowers, said group member Mike Celestino. “They are drought tolerant, deer resistant and are both sun and shade resistant,” he said. In the park they will place a 15-foot diameter garden that will be decorated with native New Jersey plants: Mountain Laurel, Little Bluestem, Aster, Bee Balm, and Butterfly Weed, Celestino said. Residents were in the park on the four times that Preston viewed it. Work will begin in September, Smith said. Also, Smith said the park has always been a senior park and students will place history related signs in it. |
