A number of weeks back the Township announce that it had entered into an agreement with the Middletown Board of Eduction(BOE) and would bond for $1.5M to build an artificial turf field at Thompson Middle School and another natural grass field would be built at a yet to be disclosed location.
At the BOE budget presentation meeting back in March (I believe), it was discussed at length about how the field would be built at Thompson and how the location was the best place for it. The Township Committee has also stated at its meetings that the field would be located at Thompson School.
Apparently sometime last month, a decision was made to relocate this project. The field will not be built at Thompson School, as originally publicised. An announcement to accept bids on the project, now calling for the field to be built at Nutswamp School, across the street from Thompson, was published in the Asbury Park Press last week.
This doesn't appear to be a logical decision. Parking is rather limited at Nutswamp Elementary School and parents will now have to park at Thompson School and cross Middletown-Lincroft Road in order to get to Nutswamp School. Whereas Thompson School is a good location for this facility, it has lots of parking and the middle school can utilize the field during physical education classes.
When you look back on page 123 of the Township's Recreational Master Plan (which cost the township a boat load of money to produce) Nutswamp School was ranked as 6th best location in the township to construct a field of this type, 3 rankings lower than Thompson. The Master Plan made note of the fact that there wasn't sufficient room at this site to support a field due to lack of parking; It was a major drawback.
Given the redevelopment that will soon begin at Bamm Hollow Country Club, where 190 homes will be constructed and potentially 342 more at the Avaya property and the fact that the schools in Lincroft will need to be expanded to accommodate the increase of students. I am quite sure that our BOE has taken all this into consideration when the decision to locate the artificial turf field at Nutswamp School was made.
NOT
7 comments:
This is a great idea.
(1) If the field was built behind Thompson, the BOE would have had control of the access to the field. This is being built for the town and not the school district and so should be put where there is the easiest and best access to the township as a whole.
(2) Nutswamp is a huge field. You can put a turf field in there now and still have natural grass fields as well.
(3) Nutswamp is right next to Normandy park. Build the turf in the area closest to Normandy (and furthest away from the school), so that you can access the field via Normandy park and not impact Nutswamp during School hours. (There are already stairs form Normandy to Nutswamp field). On weekends, the parking between Normady and Nutswamp combined would be greater than what is available at Thompson.
(4) They should still also put turf in at Croyden while they are bidding this one out (econonmies of scale). They already have lights and previously had approval for turf there (before the other side of town complained about fairness). If they did this, it would put a turf field on each side of town (each of which is proximate to a Junior High School). Come to think of it, ask the BOE to chip in a little moolah and put a 3rd turf at the huge field at Thorne. This way, there would be 3 turf fields in Middletown ... each next to our Junior High Schools.
aNON
aNON,
You haven't been paying much attention lately have you? The township and the BOE entered into a partnership with these turf fields. The BOE has given the Township $250K to help build these fields and has given full permission to use the proposed field during non-school hours in exchange for the township taking over maintenance of its field
Remember the fight over the turf field that was to be built over at West Front Street? The TC said that it couldn't be built at Nutswamp/Normandy due to parking and grading issues. And a field cannot be buily at Harmony/Thorne because of wet land issues. Thompson was the best location.
The field at Croydon Hall is dead and may never be built. It should have been built a few years ago when the TC had the money for it but the TC was too afraid of Jim Cody and the River Plaza Chargers to do without first giving them their field.
Doesn't Jim Cody sit on the BOE? And ain't Cody's sister the mayor's cheerleader with a political appointment ?
Has this TC in recent years made any rational decisions that ever serve the people of this town?
The doctor (of what) and his incompetent compadres are in this to serve themselves and vying for the "jock" vote is just that, serving themselves.
The whole scheme stinks to high heaven !
Touche Mike.
(1) You are right about the Township / BOE arrangement/deal. The 2 working together is a good thing ... and Nutswamp next to Normandy Park is a MUCH better loacation than that small field above Thompson in every possible way.
(2) I heard that they are still contemplating a field at Thorne/Harmony .. in a similar deal with the BOE. I don't think "wetlands" issues will completely sink this idea.
(3) It is a shame when township factions battle each other (Croyden vs. River Plaza, town vs. BOE, Lincroft vs. every other area of town).
(4) I am glad they didn't build the West Front Street field, but when they had the money they should have built the field at Croyden - and should have created the park on Middletown Lincroft Road (the original one the Lincroft group called a "sports complex")
aNON
If this TC has money to burn, they should open all three library branches and serve all the people of this town.
There are two turf fields, one at each high school and until the economic climate in this town and this state improves, that's sufficient. The BOE repeatedly has made cuts to education so how do they justify spending money on turf fields today under those conditions. THAT"S MONEY TO BE PAID BY THE TOWNSHIPS TAXPAYERS IN INCREASED PROPERTY TAXES.
BUY BOOKS and COMPUTERS and HIRE TEACHERS and HIRE LIFEGUARDS. To hell with additional turf fields.
Take care of the parks and facilities we already have !!
There are only about 25 more legal parking spaces at Thompson than Nutswamp. The township doesn't maintain any field on the weekends as it relies on league volunteers to do their work even though they pay for their services. What sport are these turf fields for? Hopefully multi - use ones so all sports can utilize through the year. Can easily go from a soccer game to a lacrosse game and then to a softball game if designed properly and than community gets more out of it. Won't be the case since nobody has any idea of field maintenance or clue regarding field design that is making any of the decisions. Also doesn't matter which side of town the fields are on as the way the permit process works you can get a field anywhere in town if you apply properly.
At a BOE meeting the reason given for the field not being at Thompson was due to HISTRICAL FILL and you could not build on it.
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