Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Organic turf expert deems field ready for play.
DeHart Park organic turf field will open on Saturday, according to Keith Knudsen, Director of the Maplewood Recreation Department. "Everything looked good," said Knudsen, referring to this week's inspection by an organic turf expert. "We're hoping for full usage all the way to fall." Last week, members of the Township Committee voiced worry that the field would not be able to open for the spring sports season. Officials were also concerned that other local fields were being overused as a result of DeHart being closed. The field was open for last fall's playing season but had not yet been able to be used this spring. Knudsen said the expert deemed the field usable for play. The field will be open for the rest of the year, but the …
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Here are the most-read stories this week.
Online Petition Calls for Boycott of St. James's Gate As a case involving an alleged assault at St. James's Gate Publick House winds it way through the courts, an online petition has been started to demand a formal apology and the resignation of the bartender. Maplewood Woman Finishes Race Before Explosions A Maplewood woman who ran the Boston Marathon Monday was okay following two explosions which erupted at the race finish line, according to emails from her running mates. Margaret Marbury completed the race in just over three hours and 20 minutes, according to an online site that tracks runners' times, before the first explosion. Emails sent by members of Marbury's running group reported that she was safe. DeHart Field Still Not …
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Officials say field has no definite reopen date; expert will evaluate its condition next week.
DeHart Field is not yet ready to open for the spring sports season, and there is no definitive date on when it will be, according to township officials. "We want the field opened as soon as possible," said committeeman Jerry Ryan at Tuesday night's Township Committee meeting. Ryan, who is the community liaison to the Recreation Department Advisory Committee, said the committee is "concerned" and is closely monitoring the situation. The township's organic fields expert Chip Osborne will be assessing the fields next week and is also helping develop a management plan for the field, said Ryan. The field was reopened last fall after a period of being closed, when a fungal infection ruined the newly planted sod. (The field has been the subject…
Monday, October 22, 2012
Township Engineer is "very happy" to reopen field ahead of schedule.
Maplewood Township has reopened the playing field at DeHart Park, according to an email message from the township. The fields were closed last year after the turf was found to have a fungal infection that had damaged newly replanted sod. (The turf initially had to be replaced when it was discovered the contractor had incorrectly installed it with a netting that was supposed to be removed before installation.) In September, township engineer Thomas Malavasi said the field would likely remain closed through the end of the year, but the township was able to open it ahead of schedule. "We are very happy to be able to open it up earlier," said Malavasi, who noted that the township's turf expert had given the field a clean bill of health. "It'…
Monday, October 1, 2012
Last month's most popular stories.
Police Report Rash of Burglaries As summer drew to a close, six homes and two businesses in Maplewood were burglarized, according to Maplewood Police. Residents reported burglaries on Elmwood Avenue, Boyden Avenue, Tiffany Place, Highland Avenue, Orchard Road and Franklin Terrace. Woman Punched Train Conductor, Pulled Emergency Brake Nadine Canty, 48, of Plainfield, allegedly punched a conductor and pulled the emergency brake of a train heading to Summit, affecting South Orange and Maplewood commuters. Canty was charged with aggravated assault, criminal mischief and interference with transportation, said NJ Transit spokeswoman Nancy Snyder. The conductor, who wasn't identified, got into an argument with Canty before she punched him, …
Friday, September 28, 2012
Several towns or school districts in Union County have or are grappling with the issue of whether or not to construct artificial turf playing fields.
- GOVERNMENT
- Mary Mann
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Friday, September 28, 2012
Turf field and athletic field complex developments have been provoking passionate response in towns around Union County recently. The issue came to the fore a couple of years ago in Maplewood, when a proposal to include turf at DeHart Park was voted down by following months of very heated debate between turf advocates and those passionately against turf. In Springfield, after years of debate and wrangling, a turf field complex for shared municipal and school district use at Jonathan Dayton High broke ground this month and should be operational by fall 2013. In Garwood, council just approved a controversial $3.2 million complex that includes a turf field for soccer and field hockey, a new building with a full kitchen and an activity room …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The lights are up; total cost is lower than township originally anticipated.
Maplewood has rented six temporary lights for the south field at Memorial Park to illuminate practices and games for local soccer and other sports teams. The lights were installed earlier this week, after being approved by the Maplewood Township Committee at its last meeting. Space for local teams is tight this season because DeHart Field is unusable until at least the end of the year. The lights, which are from Sunbelt Rentals, will cost a total of $3,655 per month, according to Township Administrator Joseph Manning. The township will rent them for roughly two and a half months. The cost includes diesel fuel and a protection plan. Manning had originally estimated the lights would cost between $18,000 and $26,000 based on initial bids …
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Temporary lighting will accommodate evening soccer practices.
The Maplewood Township Committee approved a resolution on Tuesday to rent temporary lighting for the south field at Memorial Park, at a cost not to exceed $28,000. The lights would enable local sports teams such as Cougar Soccer to hold night practices. The resolution passed 4-1, with Committeeman Marlon Brownlee dissenting. Brownlee cited concerns about the large range of the cost estimate, which was between $16,000 - 28,000. "It's not an insignificant amount of money," he said. Mayor Vic DeLuca also expressed concern about the range -- "It's kind of like a blank check," he said -- but he noted, "We do not have a lit field in this town." He asked Township Administrator Joseph Manning to request a more specific estimate from the …
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Here's a look at what you might have missed this week in Maplewood.
PHOTOS: First Day of School in Maplewood and South Orange K-7 and 9th graders headed back to school on Thursday; 8th and 10-12th grade followed suit on Friday. UPDATE: Maplewood Police Report Rash of Burglaries Six homes and two businesses were broken into last week. Maplewood Police Capt. John Perna said the police department is stepping up its patrols in the affected areas. DeHart Field Will Likely Stay Closed The field will likely remain closed through the end of the year because of a fungal infection that has damaged newly replanted sod, according to Township Engineer Thomas Malavasi. The closing will complicate playing schedules for local sports teams this fall. Township Committee Gives Blessing to Beehives In what Mayor Vic …
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Extreme weather has taken a toll on the newly re-sodded field.
DeHart Field will likely remain closed through the end of the year because of a fungal infection that has damaged newly replanted sod, according to Township Engineer Thomas Malavasi. “It was a combination of moisture and heat,” said Malavasi. The field was re-sodded this spring, and regular watering plus the summer's extreme heat caused the infection to spread before the new, young turf was established. The sod will be patched and the field will be fertilized and aerated, said Malavasi. "It had always been the plan to try to get the field reopened by the fall but to assume that it would not be able to be opened," said Township Committeeman Jerry Ryan. DeHart Park has been the subject of much controversy over the last few years. At one …
Joe
1:21 pm on Sunday, April 21, 2013
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