In May, nearly 50 young women from the Moorestown Youth Softball Association stood before council and asked that they take action to repair the softball fields at Wesley Bishop Park, which are currently in a state of disarray. At its most recent meeting, Moorestown Township Council demonstrated its commitment to rectifying the situation.
Council authorized an application for grant funds from the Burlington County Municipal Park Development Program. As it stands, repairs to Wesley Bishop Park South are estimated to cost $610,300, and the township is applying to obtain a $250,000 grant from the county.
In the spring of 2017, MYSA cancelled 11 games across nine nights due to field conditions, and in the spring of 2018, MYSA cancelled eight games across six nights due to field conditions. MYSA members previously told council the softball fields have insufficient drainage, and, at times, they’ve had to cancel games three days after a rainstorm because the water still has not drained.
Councilman Michael Locatell expressed concerns about the high cost of the $610,300 they received.
Township Manager Thomas Neff said Bach Associates, engineering consultants for the project, provided feedback on a “preliminary basis” as to what work would need to be done to improve the two fields’ drainage. He said township staff also found the estimates to be high.
Neff said Bach’s engineers are recommending that a certain amount of soil would need to be replaced as well as the irrigation system, but township staff aren’t as certain that needs to happen. He said they’re having them further investigate how much soil is needed and inquiring if they can save the current drainage system. He said the township’s own engineers are also taking a look to make sure the project estimates are “reasonable and not overly expensive.”
“So it’s our hope and expectation that the actual cost will come in less than that, [and] in conjunction with the grant from the county, we hope to keep the cost of that down as much as we can,” Neff said.
MYSA’s travel teams currently play at Wesley Bishop Park on fields 1 and 2. While the Moorestown Youth Baseball Association currently has 11 fields dedicated solely to baseball, MYSA has none and shares the two fields they use with flag football.
Locatell inquired if the grant application only specifies softball as the drainage problems are widespread at Wesley Bishop.
“I just think it might help our position with the county if we recognize this is affecting two sports groups – not one,” Locatell said.
Director of Parks and Recreation Theresa Miller said the grant application does mention that both the Moorestown Youth Softball Association and the Moorestown Youth Flag Football League utilize the fields. She said it also outlines the drainage issues across the board.
Councilman Brian Donnelly, who previously promised the girls in May that they’d find the money to make the repairs, expressed enthusiasm over the ordinance.
“I’d like to see it move forward,” Donnelly said of the project.
The next meeting of Moorestown Township Council will take place on Monday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall.
