The always-opinionated local blog on clearcutting a slice of the park:
Quote: At some point this year, the plan to move the senior citizen center to the beach at Hammonton Lake was enacted. Along with it came a need for parking spaces. How do you make them? Cut down old trees and lay asphalt of course. According to the article in this week’s Hammonton Gazette and accompanied photograph, over 50 trees were removed from the park. Aside from parking, the Town needs to add a retention basin now that they are paving the road and adding parking spaces.
Martin’s Commentary: For what it’s worth, the boys and I ventured out to the playground/lake of the Hammonton Lake Park for the first time since red ribbons went up circling the doomed trees. I was very nervous but they handled the change without too much disruption. Theo declared he wants to put the parks commission in time-out for what they’ve done but he and his little brother had fun climbing the new wood chip piles.
I don’t how we’ll all do when Phase II brings ugly retention basin or acres of ashphalt to what has been one of the lovliest multi-use parks in the area. Will it be safe for kids with the traffic and basin?
Hammonton Lake Tree Slaughter:
Close to tears looking at photos of tree slaughter in favorite park (before and after shots). I was a few hundred feet from here today for a t-ball game, but couldn’t bear to look over. My boys both love the almost-daily walk we take through here and it’s all gone because some idiots wanted to be Big Men with Bulldozers and remake the park. Knowing this town, this will probably all be parking lot.
Francis, the 3yo, has a specific route he takes, starting the playground area in the background, through a specific gate, down a specific path, over a specific guardrail, across a specific marshy field, etc., etc., and will be completely besides himself when he sees this. Without a doubt this will be one of the top-five most traumatic things in his life and I’m kind of afraid to even take him.
These before and after pics via Flickr pal BACKYard Woods Explorer. Backy thinks some of the trees cut were around before the park. Some new saplings were planted just last year and are now gone, testament to the impulsive nature of this cutting.
