JACKSON – Two athletic teams were recently celebrated and improvements to recreation facilities in the township were discussed.
The Township Council gave kudos to the Jackson Liberty High School Cheer Team during a recent meeting. Council President Jennifer Kuhn presented each member a certificate for the team’s victory for winning the state title for “All Music Large” at the New Jersey Cheerleading & Dance Coaches Association (NJCDCA) State Championship.
It was noted during the meeting that this marked their third consecutive title and fourth overall state title win.
Representatives of the Jackson Soccer Club Intramurals were also honored with a proclamation during the evening with the club’s leaders presented a certificate. The club is open to children ranging in age from 3 to 17 years old.
The Jackson Soccer Club strives to create a safe, fun, and exciting environment for children to learn the game of soccer and is part of the Jackson Recreation Office.
“Congratulations to the Jackson Liberty High School Cheer Team and the Soccer Club. We have such great sports programs,” Kuhn said.
Councilman Steve Chisholm remarked, “congratulations to our champions the Jackson Liberty HS Cheer Team and the best club of soccer in the state, the Jackson Soccer Club. We have a rich history for all of our sports, whether it be back to the Jackson Vicks or Holbrook and it is great to see all the kids in Jackson and makes us all proud.”
Councilman Nino Borrelli also congratulated the Jackson Liberty High School Cheer Team and Soccer Club “on their accomplishments. Keep up the great work.”
Supporting Jackson Schools
Council President Kuhn added, “it would be a shame if the Department of Education under Governor Phil Murphy attempts to take away this (sports programs) from our school district by continuing to slash their budget.”
“I would like to encourage the public to be an advocate for our (school) district by reaching out to the governor, the Department of Education and the State Legislature. You can reach out to Jacksonsd.org and find the e-mail address as well as templates that will help you get started,” she added.
The school district was one of many that have had their state aid slashed year over year recently, forcing them to cut positions and make difficult choices.
Councilman Mordechai Burnstein said he recently spoke with two lawmakers from different political parties in relation to the school district funding crisis that Jackson and other school districts are experiencing and “they said they had already received from Jackson residents over 250 e-mails urging them to do whatever they could to fight for our schools. Our voices are definitely being heard.”
New Turf
Also noted during the meeting were the recently installed turf on the grounds of the Justice Complex which cost around $3 million. Kuhn thanked the Little League and football coaches who “have been maintaining them.” She said the township’s Department of Public Works is also helping to make sure the new fields “remain in tip-top shape.”
A resolution for the purchase of scoreboards at the Justice Complex was tabled during that meeting so that additional research could be done concerning the measurements of the scoreboards.
Councilman Borrelli said he was proud to have been part of the council a few years back “when the council was supportive of those new turf fields at the Justice Complex.”
Borrelli also noted the township’s summer concert series beginning next month in Johnson Park that will run through August. “Since taking office as councilman I’ve been asking why we can’t do more at Johnson Park and I’ve advocated for more events like the concert series that is taking place in Jackson’s largest park.”
“I’m glad it is happening for fellow residents to gather there and enjoy concerts at Johnson Park this summer. Thank you to the Recreation Department and the administration for putting it together.”
He added that more details concerning the summer concert series could be found at the township recreation department page jacksontwpnj.net/218/Recreation.
Rova Farms Work
Councilman Burnstein said the Master Plan Committee held a public forum to discuss its goals and objectives. Burnstein also noted a recent meeting of the Rova Farms Sub-Committee.
He said that he and Kuhn had met with Morgan Engineering professionals in a Zoom session over the pre-application with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
“Unfortunately, working with the DEP, multiple permitting processes are required and due to those permitting processes we are taking a hard dive into all the plans ensuring whatever we can do to move smooth, fast and with all the proper guidelines from the state,” Burnstein added.
Rova Farms is land preserved by the township that will be utilized for a variety of active and passive recreational purposes.
