Residents press township on soccer registration policy, road conditions and leaf pickup
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Summary
Public commenters raised concerns about a proposed 50/50 out-of-town policy for travel soccer registrations, asked for better road maintenance on Sycamore Avenue, and suggested incentives for residents who bag their own leaves.
Several residents used the public-comment period to press the township on recreation rules and local public-works issues.
Mike Banchor, identified in the record as the president of Garberts Hatcher Soccer Club, told the committee his club seeks a 50/50 travel registration policy (50% Egg Harbor Township residents / 50% open) for its travel teams. Banchor said the club's travel rosters have been depleted as players joined larger out-of-town clubs and that opening limited out-of-town slots would help the club retain and develop local players. He said the policy would apply only to travel teams and that recreation and micro (in-town recreational) programs would remain resident-only. Banchor said the club intends to use any additional out-of-town revenue to reduce recreational registration fees over time and to supply full uniforms to rec and micro participants. He urged the recreation commission and township to meet together to resolve disputes and requested that the commission record minutes and clarify policies.
Resident John Curry raised two public-works issues: leaf collection and the condition of Sycamore Avenue. Curry said long-time residents who bag leaves save the township money and suggested offering an incentive (for example, providing bags at season start) to people who bag leaves themselves. Curry also said a 0.3-mile stretch of Sycamore Avenue is in poor condition and needs resurfacing; he asked for the township engineer to look at the roadway and for the recreation hub roadway to be resurface-prioritized as cyclists use that route.
Committee members and staff responded that the recreation commission meeting is the appropriate venue for the soccer registration discussion and urged participants to present bylaws and supporting material to the rec commission; they also said the engineer and public works would inspect the reported roadway locations. No formal policy changes or votes occurred during the meeting; committee members encouraged in-person discussion at the recreation meeting to get all stakeholders on the record.
