New $9 Million Field Referendum Proposed

The Hanover Park Regional District's Board of Education heard a presentation on a new referendum proposal for athletic field improvements to Hanover Park High School and Whippany Park High School Wednesday night.

Michael Bieri, vice president of FKA Architects, said he modified the proposal according to multiple directions from the Building and Grounds Committee and from Superintendent Carol Grossi.

"The board unanimously decided to come back with another project," board member James Herbert of the Building and Grounds Committee said. "We looked at what we could effectively cut" while still keeping the ultimate goal of giving the students a facility they can be proud of."

The new plan includes the elimination of all new field lighting that was part of the original referendum proposal, and the elimination of new field houses at the football fields at both high schools.

Both football fields will have visitor bleacher sitting for 400 instead of 600 and no end lights for track meets.

The practice fields will be regraded and reseeded at each school, with no other changes from the original proposal.

The softball fields will keep only the spectator bleachers from the original plan. All other improvements — backstops, baseline fencing, an outfield fence, scoreboard, fair poles, irrigation system and dugouts — have all been eliminated.

Outfield fences, grass infields and netting in the right field at Whippany Park's baseball field were all eliminated under this plan.

The total cost of this proposal is $9,920,394. Improvements at Hanover Park High will cost $5,356,362; improvements at Whippany Park High will cost $4,564,032.

A previous referendum for $17.5 million referendum failed at the polls in March.

Several members of the public spoke in favor of this new proposal, and even asked if the board would be open to fundraising for field houses and other eliminated aspects of the project, should they approve this plan.

"Of course we'd love to have the community help," Grossi said.

The board did not formally approve the plan Wednesday, but each member had the chance to give their feedback. The most common feedback from both the public and the board was the softball fields should have the dugouts and batting for the safety of the girls.

"Someone said at a meeting [for the last referendum] that we needed to talk about needs versus wants," Grossi said. With the last referendum the board went after what they wanted. "This is really what we need," she said.

Grossi also said she was shocked at the comments and criticisms of the entire district she saw during the last referendum. "Many things were said and written that should not have been," she said. "I was very disappointed in some of the reactions from the public.

"When you go to speak, speak only about the project. In attacking everything else in our district, it's an insult to our students [and to] you the parents, whose students work so hard every day," Grossi said.