Vineland residents and youth workers press council over split control of Karl Arthur Recreation Center

Dozens of Vineland residents and youth program leaders urged the Vineland City Council on Sept. 23 to resolve a months‑long dispute over who controls classrooms and evening hours at the Karl Arthur Recreation Center, where the Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland County and the Vineland African American Community Development Corporation (VAACDC) both operate programs.

Speakers said children’s programs have been interrupted, licensing rules complicate shared use and promises by city officials have not been carried out. “We have been in that building for 20 years,” Taryn Allison, unit director for the Karl Arthur Center for the Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland County, said during public comment. “We are licensed through the state of New Jersey. We have to follow protocol.”

The dispute centers on classroom assignments, evening access and storage. Kathy Williamson, speaking for VAACDC, said her organization was effectively confined to a small office and has had storage and janitorial access restricted. “We need an additional space in that building,” Williamson said. She told…