Politics & Government

Resolution Opposes Open Space Funds for Turf Field

Bernardsville Environmental Commission passes resolution affirming council should not take funds for actual open space.

The Bernardsville Council may be making plans to fund a possible turf field at the Upper Polo Grounds property by paying for the project with a portion of local open space funds, but the Environmental Commission last week held a special meeting to affirm its postion that the amount shouldn't be taken from money set aside for actual open space.

A resolution unanimously approved by environmental commission members last Tuesday calls for the Borough Council to limit funding for the field to the 20 percent of the fund that by law can be spent on the development and maintenance of recreational facilities.

Commission Chair Sherry Frawley said that when residents approved the open space tax about a decade ago, they did not envision the funds to go for projects such as synthetic turf athletic fields.

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A later revision to the open space law allows up to 20 percent of the fund to be spent on recreational facilities rather than open land.

Previously, borough Administrator Ralph Maresca said the open space tax, added to borough property bills, brings in a total of about $500,000 each year. 

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Environmental commission members said Tuesday that they beleive the 20 percent portion for recreation may not be able to pay for the entire $1-million-plus field project.

Nevertheless, commission member Rosalie Ballantine said that the council should not be able to expect to take more than that percentage to pay for the proposed synthetic turf field.

Along with approving the resolution, Frawley and other commission members said they expect to attend Monday night's scheduled 7 p.m. Borough Council meeting to make their position known.

The resolution approved by the commission also points out that preserving additional open space in Bernardsville would be an expensive proposition, but the latest open space component of the borough Master Plan, yet to go before the Planning Board, has specific acquisition projects to recommend.

The Bernardsville Borough Council must decide by August whether to again ask voters to approve a turf field at the municipally-owned Upper Polo Grounds property. A non-binding referendum was turned down by voters last year, but other proposals for fields presented this year also have met with disapproval by some members of the public.

The turf field would be built over an existing grass field.


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