Moorestown Council Getting Closer to Resolving Park Lights Problem

Township council took another step toward resolving its this week.

Members of council decided this past Monday to have the Alaimo Group, the township’s engineers, move forward with the necessary engineering and design work to replace the lights at and parks.

Township manager Tom Merchel said council is expected to approve a $50,000 bond ordinance at this Monday’s regular meeting to pay for the work. The up-front cost of the design work is estimated at $36,000, he said, though ancillary costs may add to that, hence the higher amount for the bond.

Council put on the backburner because the lights there are in slightly better condition, Merchel said.

All the lights are roughly the same age, having been installed in the late '70s/early '80s, and are in relative disrepair. Eight lights at Jeff Young found to be in the worst shape, and deemed unsafe, will be removed next week at a cost of $13,700.

They were supposed to have come out this week, Merchel said, but because of all the rain saturating the fields, “(the contractor) didn’t want to destroy the fields.”

Once the lights are removed, one of the two baseballs fields and the basketball and tennis courts at Jeff Young will be virtually unusable at night, he said.

Merchel said council is hoping to set a timeline for removing and replacing the other lights at Monday’s meeting.