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Fields remain unplayable
(by Megan Burrow - April 09, 2008)
The mounting tension over the fate of the town’s playing fields came to a head at the March 31 council meeting as council members and residents alike expressed frustration over the council’s apparent inability to reach an accord. After months of heated discussion over how best to restore Memorial Field to playable condition, the issue is back to square one.
The council had already authorized spending $23,000 for the reseeding and maintenance of Memorial several months ago, but was considering re-sodding the field. While sodding would be a more expensive option, it could possibly last several years while the council decides on a long-term solution.
With the baseball season fast approaching, the council voted at the March 17 meeting to go out to bid on sod. In an effort to expedite the process, Council President Joe Giardina and Administrator Agnes Smith sought an emergency resolution, which would have allowed work on the field to begin immediately.
In order to approve the purchase, the council needed four affirmative votes. There were three votes approving the new sod, but council members Robert Schroeder and Janet Sobkowicz both voted against it, citing the cost, doubts about the sod’s durability, and concerns over the sped up bid process.
“The procedure we were told would be followed was not,” Sobkowicz argued. Councilman Charles Devine reminded Sobkowicz over her statement at the March 17 meeting that she would not accept bids over $50,000. Since the bid came in under that mark, Devine and Giardina expressed surprise that Sobkowicz would not approve the purchase. “You’re going to play on semantics and not let the kids play outside?” Devine asked.
Richard Hrbek attempted to bring together the divided council, urging them to “step back and recognize what our intent is right now – to find an immediate solution to the current problem. The field is in unplayable shape.”
The council will now return to its original plan of spending $23,000 on re-seeding and regular maintenance of the field. When the seed can be planted will depend on the ground temperature.
Megan Burrow's e-mail address is burrow@northjersey.com.
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