Percheron Park Plans Slowly Progressing

at the old Ward’s Automotive site at Main and High streets are still moving along, albeit slowly.

The recently incorporated Friends of Percheron Park—styled somewhat after the —are in the process of becoming certified as a 501c3 nonprofit with the help of a local attorney, according to Kathy Logue, president of the Friends of Percheron Park. Once that’s done, they can start raising money.

Logue said the group’s goal is to ultimately raise 100 percent of the estimated $120,000 price tag for the park, which would include, among other things, a stamped concrete surface, benches, a seat wall, and a historical marker explaining the Percheron horse’s place in Moorestown’s history.

(A brief refresher: Early Moorestown resident Ed Harris, who lived in what is now the headquarters, AKA Smith-Cadbury Mansion, brought the first Percheron horse to the United States from Europe.)

“It’s basically the center of our Main Street,” Logue said of the park. “So it would be a good place to stop and sit.”

However, the property is still being remediated, said Councilman Chris Chiacchio, who has been working with the Friends of Percheron Park. Because of the gas and oil tanks buried beneath the ground when it was a service station—which was in late 2010 and —there’s a lot of work that needs to be done before the site is ready.

“Regrettably, the previous council took a course that was unfortunately time-consuming, but cost-effective,” he said.

Organizers had hoped to begin construction this fall, but remediation could take longer, pushing the start of the project into next year, Chiacchio said. “But we could catch a break.”

On the bright side, the councilman believes the Friends will have little trouble raising money once its fundraising campaign kicks into gear. He said a local business owner has already offered to match dollar for dollar whatever the group is able to raise.

Logue said they expect to start fundraising in the fall.

Those interested in contributing can send donations to "Friends of Percheron Park Inc.", c/o Kathy Logue, 27 Harding Ave., Moorestown, NJ 08057. If anyone would like to volunteer, contact Logue at 856-234-4143.