Mayor
Bernie Platt
May 31, 2011
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to you today to share my support for an exciting new venture in the works here in Cherry Hill:
The South Jersey Aquatic Center.
The proposed, state-of-the-art facility would serve children, families, schools and other organizations from
across South Jersey’s Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties.
For generations, aquatic recreation has been an integral thread in the fabric of our community, as
demonstrated by the longstanding popularity of Cherry Hill’s 13 seasonal swim clubs, which have been a
hallmark of our neighborhoods for the last 50 years. In addition to daily recreational activities, these clubs
play host to the annual Cherry Bowl swimming competition, attended each year by thousands of people.
What’s more, our two high schools, Cherry Hill East and West, are home to superior competitive intramural
swim programs.
That said, the South Jersey region lacks a large-scale, indoor pool facility, often prompting our school teams
to rent aquatic space at pools outside the area, including across the river in Philadelphia.
I believe an aquatic center in Cherry Hill would create a new recreation option for the entire tri-county area,
while potentially helping to attract tournaments and other wide-scale competitions that could boost our local
business community. Competitive aquatic events held at the Center would translate into added revenue for
the retail and hospitality industries in Cherry Hill and surrounding towns.
We often say “You Couldn’t Pick a Better Place,” than Cherry Hill – and I believe the construction of the
South Jersey Aquatic Center could only make our community a better place to live, work and, of course,
play.
Sincerely,
Bernie Platt
Mayor
820 Mercer St Ste 105 Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
Voice 856.488.7878 Fax 856.661.4719 E-mail [email protected]