The Washington Township Council unanimously rejected a plan from Mayor Janet Sobkowicz Monday that would have transferred a Bergen County Open Space grant to the project to re-sod Memorial Field.

The council previously approved a plan to bond for $152,000 of the $160,000 to re-sod the field, but Sobkowicz said she wanted to use the $25,000 matching grant — awarded by the county last year to pay for a playground — and other money in the budget to lower the amount of the bond, which will take 15 years to pay off.

"It probably won't last that long," Sobkowicz said about the sod.

Councilmen said they preferred to use the grant for its original purpose and to bond for the sod as they had previously voted.

"We should stay with its intended purpose," Councilman Fred Goetz said.

Officials said they would use the grant to fix the playground area and possibly also the basketball court at Memorial Field.

The re-sodding project is still scheduled to take place later this fall. Officials had hoped to complete the project in time for football season, but township teams began practicing on the field earlier this month. The project will likely be done in early November.

Officials arranged for the teams to play their home games on the artificial turf field at Westwood Jr./Sr. High School because of problems with Memorial Field.

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