The Haddonfield Commissioners jumped on board with the Haddonfield Board of Education on Tuesday, May 22, as the it unanimously approved of a resolution to spend more than $350,000 to turf a practice field next to Haddonfield Memorial High School football field.
The decision was met with a standing ovation by the pro-turf crowd at the meeting.
The board of education, nearly two weeks ago, approved spending $150,000 to turf the football field.
Both of these allocations are dependent on the Haddonfield Turf Committee raising a minimum of $500,000 in private donations for the more than $1 million project.
As per the agreement, this is a one-time cost for the borough. The school district will be responsible for replacing the turf in eight to 10 years and the maintenance costs. The field has a warranty for eight years, turf committee chairman Joseph Del Duca said, and will likely cost a little more than $600,000 to replace when the time comes.
“Tonight is a night to be celebrated in town,” Commissioner Ed Borden said to the assembled crowd after he voted for the project.
Borden commended the work of the turf committee and Del Duca for the countless hours of work put into the project. No committee has ever, he said, in his time as a commissioner or a member of the board of education, offered to raise $500,000 in private donations for a pressing borough need.
While it was a pro-turf crowd at the meeting, questions did arise as to why so much money was being spent on a “special interest group” without adequate public notice.
Commissioner Jeff Kasko raised the same questions and said he was worried not enough public discussion had taken place on the issue — and said he considered asking for a motion to table the resolution.
But he ultimately threw his support behind the resolution.
“At 10 p.m. tonight, I will give you my support to move forward,” he said.
Plus, several reports have shown playing on a turf field can increase the risk of injuries for its participants, said Heather Vaughn. The chemicals used to clean the field can also be harmful to athletes and run off into local water supplies.
“Are we going to be exposing our children to horrible carcinogens on the fields?” she asked.
Del Duca appeared before the commissioners to give details on a plan the committee had been formulating for the past two years and had given to the board of education on May 10.
The turf committee reviewed the borough’s open space master plan, which noted “an explosion of need for active recreation areas.”
It also described the sub-par condition of Haddonfield’s playing fields and the need to upgrade and maintain them, he said.
For about two hours, the assembled crowd– from Little Leaguers to senior citizens — took turns at the microphone to discuss artificial turf.
Phil Smart, athletic director of Eastern Regional High School, said switching to turf at several of his athletic fields was a smart fiscal decision. When asked about special maintenance needs, Smart said all that’s needed is a tractor (which he believes Haddonfield already owns) and a special aerator to roll over the turf that costs $1,200.
Athletes from the Haddonfield varsity baseball and football squads appeared before the commissioners and read letters from baseball head coach Bob Bickel and football head coach Frank Delano. Both head coaches said the move to turf is beneficial for not only the programs at the high school, but also for youth sports.
“I can comfortably say that our fields are some of the worst in South Jersey,” an athlete read from Delano’s letter.
With the turf fields at the high school level, Del Duca said, the “player hours” would increase dramatically. Right now, the football field is restricted from use in the summer and only is available for the high school football team during the school year.
With a turf surface, the field wouldn’t have to be rested as much and would reduce the strain on other fields throughout the borough as well, he said.
Del Duca says it’s an extensive and expensive project, which is why the turf committee is pledging to raise the half million. Currently, the committee already has already raised approximately $250,000, he said, and three fundraising activities are planned for the future.
The Haddonfield Educational Trust has chosen the turf committee as the benefactor for funds raised at its June 11 golf and barbeque event. The committee will also begin a capital fundraising campaign and will host a formal event at Tavistock Country Club on Nov. 17.
To donate, or if you want to see the various reports commissioned by the turf committee for the field, log on to www.haddonfieldturf.org.
