Cherry Hill, Evesham/Marlton, Medford, Medford Lakes, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees and elsewhere near the iconic state highways of Routes 70 and 73.
Site plan for the park and pier reaching into Ballinger Lake near the Borough Hall.
Medford Lakes' application to the Pinelands Commission
An educational park and pier likely will be built this fall on Ballinger Lake in Medford Lakes, just off the parking lot of borough offices.
The borough filed a project application with the Pinelands Commission and approval is expected because Medford Lakes worked with the commission throughout the planning process, Borough Manager Robert J. Burton told 70and73.com.
Burton said the borough wanted to built a "pocket park" across the street, but that idea didn't work out. The borough manager said he'd pull into the borough parking lot each day and that side of the building — which opened in 2007 — seemed bare. So the educational park idea was hatched.
The full cost of about $90,000 will be paid by two grants from Burlington County and no local funds will be used, Burton said. The pier would be about 38 feet long and the walking trail would be 175 feet, according to the application.
A site plan drawn in May and submitted to the Pinelands Commission calls the development the "Ballinger Lake Educational Park," but that's the working name and a permanent name is yet to be determined, Burton explained.
Medford Lakes' application states that three trees, a fence and an asphalt sidewalk will be removed to make way for the project. "Interpretive signs will provide visitors to the park a learning experience to identify the surrounding wildlife and vegetation. Permeable pavers will provide a walkway through the park. A bench at the dock and a picnic table are other amenities to be provided," according to the application, prepared by C. Jeremy Noll, the borough engineer who works for engineering firm Environmental Resolutions Inc. of Mount Laurel.
The project makes a "low impact environmentally," Burton said. Residents and visitors used to watch wildlife and take photographs on the old Bridge of Tradition footbridge when it was standing, he said. He said the pier will be able to be used in the same ways, particularly for wedding photos. Local schools also might use the park for field trips, he added.
We want to "give the community some more places in Medford Lakes to experience the lakes and just relax and enjoy nature," he told 70and73.com.
The arrow shows the approximate location of the pier.
