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Park along 'heroin highway' to get $3M facelift

CAMDEN Come spring, the North Camden Little League will have a home-field advantage. A 13-acre park once known for bordering "heroin highway" on Sixth Street will get a much-needed facelift, thanks to county and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection funds.

Anthony J. Perno III, CEO of Cooper's Ferry Partnership, speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony. New baseball and soccer fields, basketball courts, a playground, concession stand, and bathrooms are expected to be completed by the spring. AKIRA SUWA / Staff Photographer
Anthony J. Perno III, CEO of Cooper's Ferry Partnership, speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony. New baseball and soccer fields, basketball courts, a playground, concession stand, and bathrooms are expected to be completed by the spring. AKIRA SUWA / Staff PhotographerRead more

CAMDEN Come spring, the North Camden Little League will have a home-field advantage.

A 13-acre park once known for bordering "heroin highway" on Sixth Street will get a much-needed facelift, thanks to county and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection funds.

Pyne Poynt Park, the largest park in North Camden, with the only public access to the Delaware River, is being renovated as part of the 2008 North Camden Neighborhood Plan, a collaborative initiative among the city, the county, the Save Our Waterfront group, and the Cooper's Ferry Partnership.

The $3 million project, expected to be completed by late winter or early spring 2014, will include new baseball diamonds, soccer fields, basketball courts, a playground, concession stand, and restrooms, as well as stormwater management to lessen flooding in the area and improved lighting, fences, and security cameras.

The fields will be open to children at nearby Pyne Poynt Middle School. "Our PE teachers are champing at the bit to get out here," said principal Brian Medley during Tuesday's groundbreaking ceremony.

The park will also house the 600 children who play in the North Camden Little League.

"This park had become synonymous with anything but baseball," said league president Bryan Morton. "I can't wait until they come back in April and see their home field." - Julia Terruso