Athletic Referendum Presentation Coming at Council Meeting

Hanover Park Regional District Superintendent Carol Grossi is busy promoting awareness of the referendum for athletic refurbishments at both Hanover Park High School and Whippany Park High School.

Grossi will give a presentation at the Florham Park Council meeting Thursday and will take questions from the public on the plans for improvements, the funding and the potential longterm benefits to students and residents.

The district put together several promotional materials, including an eight-page 8 x 11.5 in. booklet, which included an aerial rendering of what the fields will look like when complete, a tri-fold handout and several poster boards. Now school board members and district employees are working on getting out the vote.

"We're doing the same kind of project at both our school, focusing on specific needs at each school," Grossi said. These include field houses with 100 lockers, restrooms and new concession stands to be constructed at each school. Each school will also get:

• new ADA-compliant bleachers,
• new scoreboards,
• more efficient lighting heads
• new fencing
• a new sound system
• a press box.
• a turf field lined for football, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls lacrosse and field hockey,
• new lacrosse goals and netting,
• refurbished softball fields
• replaced tennis courts.

"We are going to improve our field drainage, we're going to replace the track, we'll put in new rubberized D-zone, an additional two lanes to the track which will allow us to host county meets," Grossi said.

Grossi will also speak at the Hanover Township Committee meeting at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 and will also answer questions at the Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent from 5 to 7 p.m. March 5, days before the election.

If the referendum vote passes, it will give $17.5 million for the project. A breakdown of the costs is outlined in a PDF on the district website.

The vote is scheduled for 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. March 12.

The Florham Park Council meets at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Florham Park Borough Hall. A full agenda of the meeting was not available Wednesday.