Upper Polo Turf Field Could be Back on Ballot

The Bernardsville Council on Monday agreed to draw up up a proposal to again seek voter approval to install a turf field over an often muddy grass field at the borough's Upper Polo recreational complex, a plan rejected by voters last November.

The revised proposal for another November ballot question, which Mayor Lee Honecker said could be back before the council for further review in about a month or so, calls for using almost $500,000 from the borough's open space fund for each of three years. The multi-purpose turf field, which would cost a total of about $1.5-million, would be installed if approved at one of the athletic fields near the Bernardsville Pool.

Borough Councilman Joe Rossi said that unlike other athletic field plans being considered by the Somerset Hills Board of Education or in cooperation with the school board, installing a turf field at the Upper Polo complex wouldn't require taking down trees or sharing properties with the schools.

Rossi said the borough's open space fund, financed by a separate open space tax levied as part of the borough property tax bill, has about $5.5-million saved up, and earning very little interest.

Honecker noted that even while a turf field would allow the field to be used more often, it wouldn't add another needed athletic facility in the borough. "You're still going to have kids playing on the pool parking lot," he noted.

"It won't solve the total field problem," Honecker said.

The proposal drew a gasp from Marilyn Dee, a member of the borough's Open Space Advisory Committee, who after hearing the plan to pay for the project with funds from the dedicated open space tax, said from the audience, "I demand to be heard."

Honecker responded that the plan only was being discussed by the Borough Council at that point.

Dee said after the meeting she had been totally surprised by the suggestion. She said it is her feeling that the open space tax was approved by borough voters for the purpose of acquiring open space.

The revival of the Upper Polo turf field project was raised even while discussion continues about other plans for athletic fields involving school board.

In fact, following Monday's public council meeting, officials convened in closed session to again consider the details of a contract to allow the school board to install a separate turf field, the so-called Chestnut Field, behind the Bernardsville Middle School.

As he had last month, Chestnut Avenue resident Terry Byrne asked the council to put the turf field installation being considered for the Chestnut Field instead on the Upper Polo grounds, which he said already has other facilities needed to serve a recreational complex, and would not bring traffic to Chestnut Avenue.

Byrne also said he would prefer the installation of a larger field below an existing turf field at Bernards High School.

While Honecker said the borough has no control over what the school board does on school property, he queried the Borough Council on whether to draw up a proposal for an attempt at another November referendum.

Council members gave preliminary approval to a proposal drawn up by Borough Attorney John Pidgeon. However, Councilman Craig Lawrence said he would want further details for how the borough would plan to replace the turf when it wears out in the future.

Borough voters last November rejected a non-binding ballot question of whether to spend between $1.25- to $1.41-million to put turf on an existing borough field at the Upper Polo grounds off Seney Drive. The unofficial vote was 1,699 to 858.

But officials said then that voters were unaware they had come up with a plan that wouldn't raise taxes. The plan then called for using a smaller amount of open space funds that would be combined with capital improvements funds and money saved from retiring debt. Since then, however, the borough has had to grapple with costs of cleaning up after the Sandy storm that struck the area on Oct. 29.

Honecker said that the council has time to work on a new version of a referendum, if one is planned, before next November.