Field Lighting Compromise Decided On By New Mendham Committee

MENDHAM, NJ — Following numerous meetings and debates between residents and township committee members, the next phase of the Mosle Field lighting plan has been assigned to an official ad hoc committee.

On Sept. 11, the Mendham Township Committee approved a resolution appointing members of the community to an ad hoc committee, whose purpose is to propose a solution to the Township Committee that the residents and the Twin Boro Bears football and cheerleading program are satisfied with.

Up until now, the council and recreation department have been leading the debate on the contentious Mosle Athletic Field project, which calls for the replacement of existing portable diesel-fueled lights with 90-degree downstream lights, as well as the installation of new lights in the Mosle Recreation Area parking lot.

The Twin Boro Bears football and cheerleading program and the Mendham Chester Patriots baseball and softball program, both of which serve over 500 youth athletes, now use the fields.

Despite the fact that the committee approved a resolution to add lights to Mosle Field on May 22, the committee has since made the decision to table the subject until further notice.

An environmental impact study was conducted earlier this summer, but numerous people expressed reservations about its trustworthiness after finding that the study was a desktop evaluation, which meant that the team had never stepped foot on the fields.

The council has recently said that they would consider authorizing a more thorough study to further analyze any environmental implications. However, before the study can be finished, a final agreement ordinance and a bond ordinance must be passed.

According to the township, the ad hoc committee will include the Recreation Director (non-voting), an at-large member of the Mendham Township community appointed directly by the Township Committee, two Township Committee members, one Environmental Commission Representative, one Wildlife Committee Representative, two Township residents from the Mosle neighborhood, and two Twin Boro Bears representatives.

The group will have until Nov. 27 to propose a solution to the Township Committee on how to proceed with the project proposal.

Project Specifics

According to officials, the Mosle Athletic Field project has been drastically cut back since the first design and currently involves lighting modifications to the football field and parking lot.

The Committee explicitly proposes that six additional 30-foot-tall, downstream, permanent LED light poles be installed around the parking lot to mitigate any safety concerns associated with the parking lot's present low-light or dark circumstances.

Four new 60-foot-tall, downstream-facing, permanent LED light poles will also be constructed around Mosle Field to replace the present portable diesel-powered HID light towers.

The project will not alter the field layouts or configurations, and the department is collaborating with the township engineer to investigate if renewable energy sources, such as solar, may be used.