To be more beautiful Hamilton's parks, flowerbeds, trees, athletic facilities and open spaces must receive a higher priority in scheduled maintenance than they are now. We shall re-establish the tree-trimming function that, until four years ago, was an integral part of the Buildings and Grounds Division. That unit provided a very necessary service under our beautification goals. No longer can flowerbeds be left unattended from one year to the next. All require weeding and planting each spring and regular attention throughout the year.

Athletic fields, whether maintained by the township or through some combination of township and league cooperation, must be repaired where necessary and cared for regularly so that each facility can be used to its fullest extent. In the past Hamilton has been noted for its extensive and well-cared for athletic facilities but in recent years several gemstones have fallen into disrepair and need significant restoration, both for the safety and well-being of our youth who play on them and for our community generally to once again claim its place in the forefront of nice places to live, work and play.

Not only is it important that our local government takes the lead in preserving open spaces for future generations, but we must care for the spaces already set aside. We do not need to manicure the open lands but we must know what we have and what we still need. The best way to do that is first inventory the existing open space stock and categorize it and then determine what is still needed and how much that will cost. Knowing all of that clearly leads to developing a plan for acquisition through both purchase and donation.

Some may wonder about our commitment to flowers and trees, parks, athletic facilities and open space, but all are vital for our citizens to enjoy a higher quality of life and for our government to present to future industrial/commercial/office developers the proper image of a community that truly cares about its residents.