Monday, July 23, 2012
The Washington Township Council is scheduled to vote on an ordinance to re-sod Memorial Field during their meeting Monday.
The ordinance appropriating $160,000 to re-sod Memorial Field is up for vote at the Washington Township Council's meeting Monday. The plan involves removing old sod, installing new, higher-grade sod and repairing some drainage at the bottom of the hill between the field and Washington School. $152,000 of the money for the project would come from bonds. At the previous council meeting, Mayor Janet Sobkowicz said she believes she can lower the $152,000 in bonds to $55,000 by finding more money in the budget, using a grant and removing the drainage work from the project. Sobkowicz said she would have more concrete numbers by Monday's meeting. Residents and officials have debated the best solution for the field's problems for months since …
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Washington Township Mayor Janet Sobkowicz said she hopes to find money in the budget for the re-sodding plan so a $152,000 bond is not needed to pay for the project.
A bond may not be needed to pay for the majority of a project to re-sod Memorial Field, according to Washington Township Mayor Janet Sobkowicz. The plan involves removing old sod and soil, repairing a drainage system at the site and installing the new sod. The council introduced an ordinance appropriating $160,000 for the project during their meeting this week. The ordinance allows for $152,000 of the cost to come from bonds. Sobkowicz said she believes they can cut the bond down to $55,000 by using a $25,000 matching grant for the field, finding some other money in the budget and eliminating the proposed drainage work from the hill between the field and Washington School. "It doesn't really affect the field," Sobkowicz said about the …
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The Washington Township Council voted 4-1 Monday to re-sod the field. Councilmen said they intend to pursue artificial turf for the future.
Months of debate came to an end Monday when the Washington Township Council voted 4-1 in favor of creating an ordinance to allow for the re-sodding of Memorial Field. Some residents have been attending council meetings to request artificial turf for the field, which has had problems with drainage, goose feces and netting from old sod sticking through its surface. Monday's proposal called for a total of $160,000 to cover the costs of removing old sod and soil, repairing a drainage system at the site and installing the new sod. Township engineer Paul Azzolina previously said the sod would be ready "almost immediately" after it is installed. Council President Richard Hrbek said it was important to improve the fields for the immediate future…
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Members of the Washington Township Council voted on both sod and artificial turf at their meeting Monday, but neither motion passed.
A solution for the problems at Memorial Field has not yet been picked, despite votes for re-sodding or installing artificial turf during the Washington Township Council's meeting Monday night. Residents have been complaining about the condition of the field, which has netting sticking through its surface from the last time it was sodded. Re-sodding the field would, along with other necessary work, cost about $150,000 and last between four and six years before needing to be replaced, according to township engineer Paul Azzolina. It would likely be cheaper to replace in the future once the netting had been removed. Switching to artificial turf is estimated to cost $3.2 million, and members of the township recreation board said it would not …
Friday, June 8, 2012
The second attempt to find contractors to re-sod Memorial Field drew $111,000 as the lowest offer.
Washington Township received four bids in response to a call for contractors to re-sod Memorial Field, according to Mayor Janet Sobkowicz. The bids ranged between $111,000 and $176,000 for the project, compared to $40,000 set aside for the project in this year's budget. Sobkowicz said the bids ran higher than the last time the field was sodded because the winning contractor would have to remove the old sod and install the new sod, which would be thicker and of higher quality than the type used before. Residents have been complaining about the condition of the field, which has netting sticking through its surface from the last time it was sodded. Members of the township's recreation board have asked the council to install artificial turf at…
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Members of the Washington Township Council said they would vote on a plan for artificial turf if they do not receive any bids to re-sod the field.
A decision on the future of Memorial Field could come at the next meeting of the Washington Township Council. Members of the council said at their meeting Monday that they would vote on a proposal to replace Memorial Field with artificial turf if no bids come in to re-sod the field by the June 6 deadline. A previous call for bids yielded no results. Council Vice President Joseph D'Urso said he did not expect to get any this time. "I don't believe patching it is going to cover it," D'Urso said. Currently, netting from old sod sticks up through the surface of Memorial Field. Residents have also complained about excessive amounts of goose feces and problems with drainage at the site. Recreation Board member Scott Spezial said artificial turf …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
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Tuesday, May 15, 2012
To Whom it May Concern: I have been a homeowner in the Township of Washington since 1999. I am writing to you today as a resident, a mom, an aunt, a friend, and a former public servant. It is with tons of frustration and a bit of anger that I put my feelings in writing. I will do my best to live by one of my mantras, "say what you mean, mean what you say, but don't say it mean," but forgive me if that does not work in this situation. Part of my job as Director of Constituent Services for both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate was to solve the problems of residents in the district that I served in and then the entire state of New Jersey. It was my responsibility to right what was wrong and to treat the constituents with …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Washington Township council members said they need to investigate other options and consider the costs of other needed maintenance projects before making a commitment.
Washington Township officials said they need more time to consider their options before making a commitment to install artificial turf at Memorial Field, upsetting residents who have been pushing for the change. Residents began asking for artificial turf when they found renting fields at the high school would cost more than $20,000 for the spring, though Memorial Field has had problems for more than 10 years. Netting from old sod sticks up through the ground, creating a potential hazard for anyone playing sports on the field, according to township residents Eamonn Twomey and Scott Spezial, who proposed the switch to artificial turf during a council meeting in March. Since then, two landscape architects have presented possible changes for …
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Here's a look at the past week in Westwood and Washington Township.
A new decision from the Department of Environmental Protection may cause trouble for plans to build a CVS on the corner of Pascack Road and Washington Avenue. In a letter to Washington Township Zoning Board engineer Christopher Statile, DEP engineer Dennis Contois wrote there will need to be a buffer zone between a stream at the rear of the property and any new buildings put on the site. Members of the Washington Township recreation board recommended Monday that the council approve a plan to renovate Memorial Field with artificial turf, new lights and additonal parking. Recreation Director Judy Monocky said the board had decided to support a plan which would replace the sod currently at the site with artificial turf while removing one of …
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The plan would make the fields more usable but may cost taxpayers almost $3 million.
Members of the Washington Township recreation board recommended Monday that the council approve a plan to renovate Memorial Field with artificial turf, new lights and additonal parking. Recreation Director Judy Monocky said the board had decided to support a plan which would replace the sod currently at the site with artificial turf while removing one of the two baseball fields. Memorial Field would also have additional diagonal parking spaces along School Street as well as new lights, bleachers and a walking path around the perimeter. To make up for the lost baseball diamond, the board also supported a plan to add lights to Sherry Field, making it usable for older boys' games at night. "For the safety and well-being of every child …
M K
11:39 pm on Monday, July 23, 2012
Sod it....save us the ridiculous tax dollars of turf....again, sports shouldn't get the red carpet treatment...its not pro sports here folks...its just kids playing after school...enough....sod it and use the money for important things in our town.. more ›