A.       List the best three things and the three worst things about
           active recreational space in Cranbury.

Group 1:
Best: All facilities are well maintained; signage is good in all recreational facilities; placement of facilities is good relative to most neighborhoods

Worst: Many outsiders use the facilities; Proximity for children to ride bikes and walk to facilities is prohibitive; no running track or lacrosse

Group 2:
Best: Accessible, Not restricted, well maintained, balanced use for genders

Worst: Stressed, over used, no track (all residents would use), no bike/walking paths

Group 3:
Best: Good condition of fields, good quantity of recreation space
Worst: Traffic conditions at Millstone; Fields over-used

Group 4:
Best: Scenic locations; quality of fields; the fields are distributed throughout Township
Worst: The recreational space encroaches on passive recreational space; it is difficulto keep quality high due to over-use; access to some fields is poor

Group 5:
Best: Maturity of parks, well laid out, access to facilities
Worst: over use by outside groups, lack of irrigation; could be better maintained

Group 6:
Best: Currently fit in with Cranbury vistas, quality
Worst: Not enough fields, upkeep of current fields (C-1 baseball, Millstone soccer) is not good; not enough bike trails (not well kept up)

B.       What improvements should be made to existing active
           recreation facilities in Cranbury?

Group 1:
Better irrigation of fields, maintenance of tennis courts (nets); In Village Park: electric outlets should be made available

Group 2:
Temporary lighting for soccer fields (Oct-Nov; April-May); Dugouts at Village Park don’t work well; Lake should be dredged for swimming

Group 3:
Like Village Park except, lake and streams are under utilized; Millstone: baseball field should be re-oriented (can’t use in afternoons); there should be water fountains near courts; Soccer-can’t be used for lacrosse because of the placement of the permanent soccer goals; Middle school track: make it a real track

Group 4:
Permanent bathroom facilities; additional parking; improved roadway access; additional sidewalks; drinking water; irrigation of fields

Group 5:
Irrigation of fields; upkeep and modernization of existing facilities; management and permitting of facilities; development of rec. programs for all ages; better advertising of existing programs

Group 6:
Turn baseball field at Millstone (unusable in afternoon); upgrade C-1 baseball infield; lights for school fields; better upkeep of walking/biking trails

C.     Does Cranbury need additional active recreational facilities
         for sports/programs which are already served—sports such
        as soccer, softball, baseball, etc.?  Rank these needs in terms
        of priority.

Group 1:
Additional Soccer Fields: 2 Yes, 4 No
Possibly more tennis: 6 Yes
No additional ball fields: unanimous

Group 2:

1.  Bike paths/Walking paths: improved and extended
2. Lifetime of activities and sports for seniors, (exercise stations)
3. Improve tennis courts, add tennis wall (also use for handball, racquet ball, soccer)

Group 3:
More soccer: 3 votes
Sufficient soccer: 2 votes
More Basketball: 1 vote
Track: 1 vote

Group 4:

1. More soccer and lacrosse
2. More baseball
3. More softball and basketball

Group 5:

1. More data to support various positions about more facilities
2. More multi-purpose, multi-use fields
3. Lack of field space for softball, baseball, lax

Group 6:

1. 1 additional small-side, multi-use field
2. 1 additional large-side field (rotate use every year)
3. Indoor baseball facility

D.      Does Cranbury need additional recreational facilities for
          new sports/programs not currently served?  Rank these
          needs in terms of priority.

Group 1:

1. Lax and field hockey
2. Multi-use youth and senior facility

Group 2:

1. Track
2. Community programs for seniors

Group 3:

1. Bikeways/paths connecting to other communities
2. Traffic safety signage now (hard to cross Old Trenton)
3. Track

Group 4:

1. Indoor rec. facility or community rec. center
2. Track facility
3. Swimming pool

Group 5:

1. Multi-purpose field
2. Need for additional data to discern what we do need

Group 6:
1. Track and field facilities

E.      For Cranbury to decide which parcel of land (or more than one
          parcel of land) on which new recreational facilities would be
          built, what factors would be the most important in determining
          which parcel should be chosen (please rank by priority; vote
           if necessary):

_ Space for onsite parking
_ Pedestrian accessibility
_ Compatibility with neighboring land uses
_ Ability to accommodate facilities on one parcel
_ Preservation of natural environment while
   accommodating new facilities
_ Cost to Cranbury taxpayer
_ Other factors (please list)

Group 1:

1. Pedestrian access
2. Cost to tax payers
3. Compatibility to neighboring land uses
4. Preservation of natural environment
5. Ability to accommodate facilities on one parcel
6. Parking

Group 2:

1. Compatibility to neighboring land uses
2. Pedestrian access
3. Cost to taxpayers
4. Preservation of natural environment
5. Space for onsite parking
6. Ability to accommodate on one parcel

Group 3:

1. Preservation of natural environment
2. Compatibility to neighboring land uses
3. Cost to taxpayers
4. Safe access

The remaining factors listed above were less important

Group 4:

1. Cost to taxpayer
2. Compatibility to neighboring land uses
3. Preservation of natural environment
4. Ability to accommodate facilities on one parcel
5. Traffic impacts
6. Extent of community use (use by all segments of the community)
7. Space for onsite parking
8. Pedestrian access

Group 5:

1. Preservation of natural environment
2. Cost to taxpayer
3. Proximity to similar uses (all soccer together, etc.)

Rest were less important

Group 6:

1. Preservation of natural environment
2. Compatibility with neighboring land uses
3. Cost to taxpayer
4. Space for onsite parking
5. Pedestrian access
6. Ability to accommodate facilities on one parcel

F.         What other important issues should be brought to the
            attention of the Cranbury Recreation Committee?

Group 1:

• More focus on recreation other than active recreation
• The creation of bike paths from outlying neighborhoods in order for them to utilize existing facilities
• Community transportation for seniors
• Pesticide free zone, integrated pest management for all municipal parks and facilities

Group 2:

• Imbalance exists for lifetime activities for seniors (too much emphasis on ages 5-15)
• Area around school is at maximum capacity for traffic (improve Wright South)

Group 3:

• Need for bike paths
• Encourage organizations to take advantage of community input in future, especially passive recreation
• Outdoor band shell, victory garden, bathrooms

Group 4:

• Unequal distribution for senior and adult recreation
• Identify and set aside for recreation land in warehouse areas to consider allowing use by Township
• Identify mechanism to leverage private funding to assist in development of recreation space
• Prioritize recreation needs versus other future town needs

Group 5:

• Community center in town
• Need for wind breaks around outlying fields

Group 6:

• When issuing permits give priority to teams with higher Cranbury resident content
• Consideration for areas to be left for pick-up games
  

7. After considering all of the above, what are the top three priorities to be addressed in the Recreational Master Plan?

Group 1:

1. Accessibility to all facilities for all residents
2. More focus on programs for adults
3. No Babe Ruth field ( 6 out of 6 thought money should go to other activities or fields)

Group 2:

1. Demand for alternative lifetime, non-organized facilities and community offerings
2. Determining desire and demand for activities/facilities and the cost
3. Provide programs for senior citizens

Group 3:

1. Costs need to be managed
2. Concerns about preservation and sensitivity to the environment
3. Facilities that are needed rather than desired (avoid those with limited use)

Group 4:

1. Do we need more active recreation facilities?
2. We must make sure they are planned in concert with the other needs of the town

Group 5:

1. Better management of programs, fees and maintenance of the current facilities
2. Need for additional data on current use of facilities so that they can be better managed in the future
3. Proper space utilization; flexibility of the field

Group 6:

1. Enhance, protect and maintain current fields including bike and walking paths connecting the town
2. Additional fields in order to rotate, rehab current inventory
3. Lighting

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Leveraging business community for funds, fields or other resources for active recreation.

We need to do a similar forum for discussing passive recreation

If you have any further comments or questions, please contact:
Josette Kratz (jkratz@cranbury-nj.com)
609-395-0544 ext. 221

 

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