Community Corner

$1.5M Grant Sought for Athletic Field Project

Residents expressed concern at a meeting Wednesday that the project could negatively affect their quality of life.

The township will apply for a $1.5 million grant from the state Green Acres program to help create athletic fields on a 12-acre tract of land near DePaul Catholic High School near Hamburg Turnpike.

The council approved the application at a public meeting Wednesday.

The township purchased the land for $4.5 million in 2006. Authorities want to install new athletic fields on the property because they had to close the ones down at Sheffield Park on Farmingdale Road due to excessive flooding.

Find out what's happening in Waynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The town in December from the Passaic County Open Space Fund to help finance the project.

Some residents who live near the property expressed concern at the meeting that the project would increase traffic in the area and that lights on the fields would disrupt their quality of life.

Find out what's happening in Waynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Authorities said there is going to be a buffer of trees between the fields and the houses on Alps Road.

Authorities said the township would hire a consultant to help design the fields; a preliminary mock up of the project could be done within the next three weeks. Construction could start by this fall, they said.

“As soon as we have something to show you, we will,” Mayor Chris Vergano said at the meeting.

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here