Plans For Building New $34 Million Community Center
Hinge on Success of Upcoming Fundraising Campaign
The effort to bring a $34 million state-of-the-art Salvation Army community center to one of the nation’s poorest cities is “right on schedule” according to the Army’s leader here, Major Paul Cain.

”But the hard part is right ahead of us. It’s definitely ‘crunch time’.”

“Environmental remediation at the site we’ve chosen in Cramer Hill is ready to get underway, our plans have gotten the go-ahead from the Army’s top brass, and we’ll be ready to launch our part of the fund raising effort by the middle of the year,” reports the optimistic Cain.

“And, as tough as it’s been to get this far,” says Cain, “this has been the easy part.”

Outstanding Support
“We’ve had outstanding government, business, and community support for the past two years as we’ve worked to put together a plan that has included input from every one—from the residents of Cramer Hill right up to the Governor.”

“Now, the RFPs for designing and executing the site clean-up are ready to go, our architectural plans are just fantastic, and our fundraising feasibility study —which was just completed—says that South Jersey is ready to support us,” says Brown & Connery attorney Joe Nardi, who chairs the Kroc Center Steering Committee.

“Now it’s up to us to get the job done. That means raising as much as $15 million to provide the money to cover both the parts of the construction costs and the annual operating costs that Joan Kroc’s will doesn’t cover,” adds Nardi.

$54 Million in the Bank
The hamburger heiress’s legacy provides $27 million in construction funding and another $27 million to fund an endowment. The interest earned by the endowment will cover the difference between what it will cost to operate the Center and the fees paid by the Camden families that will be served at the Center.

“Although the Kroc money is ‘in the bank,’ we won’t be able to use it, unless we raise the remainder of the money to build and operate the Center,” explains Nardi.

Major Cain and his wife, Major Alma Cain, have been assigned by the Army to oversee the work of making the new community center, which will be located in the City’s ethnically diverse Cramer Hill section, a reality.

The Center, officially designated by the Salvation Army as the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Camden will be a full service, state-of-the-art community center that will provide recreational, health, educational, cultural, family, and spiritual programming for residents of Camden of all ages.

10,000 Members Expected
It is expected to serve more than 10,000 people from all over Camden County annually and will be located on the site of the former Harrison Avenue landfill at East State Street and Harrison Avenue.

The Center will encompass almost 120,000 square feet of interior space and will be complemented by outdoor facilities, including basketball courts, baseball fields, tennis courts, and play areas across an 24-acre site. All playing fields and courts will be provided within secured exterior grounds.

The Center’s aquatics facilities will include a regulation lap pool, diving pool, an eight lane competition pool with spectator seating,and state-of-the-art water play area. The gymnasium will be full-size, dividable to permit two full-court basketball programs concurrently and the full-size gymnasium set-up will include spectator seating.

A fitness center and an outdoor walking/jogging track are also part of the plan, as is a child care center that is expected to serve 90 children daily.
 
Anyone will be eligible to join and there will be programming targeted to children, families, teens, seniors, and individuals.

Affordable Membership Fees
Part of the annual operating cost will be covered by what the Army has insisted must be an “affordable” membership fee, which projected to be about $3 per week for families and $2 per week for individuals, says Cain.

“There will be scholarships for anyone unable to pay,” he adds.

The Army will recruit a full-time professional staff to run the Center. And it will collaborate on programming with local organizations, including hospitals, child care providers, arts and cultural organizations, and community groups.

Lots of Community Partners
“We expect to work with Rutgers, Rowan University, Camden County College, the Camden School System, and the Workforce Investment Board, and many others, to provide programs and classes that will meet specific community needs,” says Major Cain.

The local Corps is being assisted by a 30-person Steering Committee, which includes elected officials as well as business, civic, and neighborhood leaders.

“That Steering Committee will be in the forefront as we move into a concerted fund raising effort this summer and into next year,” says Nardi.

“The bulk of the money to build and operate the Center is coming from the Kroc estate, but we have to raise the rest—up to $15 million more—or it’s a no-go,” says Nardi. “It’s as simple as that.”

A total of $1.5 billion was donated to the national Salvation Army by the McDonald’s heiress to construct and operate Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers across the United States.  Half of the Kroc gift will be used for construction and the other half will be used as endowment to provide operating funds.

Camden joined more than 100 cities across the country for the right to build a Kroc Center. The Army established a three phase process to award funds to cities making the best proposals to serve their communities.  Phase I was competitive and just 32 winners were selected.

Camden was the only city in New Jersey that was selected and one of only 8 winners among 29 competing cities in the Army’s Eastern Territory.

Each one, including Camden, had to meet a whole host of development requirements during Phase Two—basically convincing the Army’s leadership that they could make their local plans work.

Phase III involves site work and then actual construction activity. And, if all goers as we expect, we will be open for business by the Fall of 2010,” says Cain.

“But we have to raise that last $15 million,” adds Nardi. “That basically earns us the right to use the $57 million that we’ve been awarded. Without the $15 million there won’t be a Kroc Center in Camden.”