Renovation Project At Chester's Black River Fields Is Complete  

CHESTER, NJ — After years of waiting, the Black River Fields in Chester are now officially open for recreational use once again.

On April 21, local youth lacrosse players joined Mayor Mike Inganamort, County Commissioner John Krickus, Councilman Tim Drag, Environmental Commission member Charles Happel and Parks Consultant Bill Foelsch at the fields for a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the occasion.

"This project was a long time coming. It’s great to finally have level playing fields for Chester’s young athletes. The days of playing soccer on a hill are over," Inganamort said. "This project also greatly expanded the capacity for field usage, with two new fields at the back-most section of the property. This should significantly ease the scheduling process."

The beginnings of the project stem back to 2017, when the township began negotiations with the West Morris Central Regional High School District to purchase the 45-acre property, which is located off North Road, across from Telcordia Park and next to the Black River Middle School and Chester Area Pool.

Morris County approved a $416,250 Open Space grant for the township in November 2019 to purchase the 45-acre property.

For more than 50 years, the fields have been used to support youth sporting organizations from Chester Township and Chester Borough, as well as neighboring Mendham Township and Mendham Borough.

Along with the Black River Field project, parents and other community members in both Mendham and Chester have expressed their desire for better recreational facilities for local children.

In December 2022, the township council voted 3-2 to transfer nearly $1.2 million from the Black River Fields Project to Highlands Ridge Park, as a potential spot for a future turf field.

The project was supported by then-Mayor Marcia Asdal and councilmen Tim Drag and John Butkus, while Mayor Michael Inganamort and Joseph DiPaolo voted against it.

Asdal argued that the ordinance names Highlands Ridge Park because it is the most logical location for a turf field in Chester, but that if the council wanted to broaden it, it could always be amended later. "The advantage of Highlands is that we own it, it's not in the preservation area like the Black River Fields was across the street or where Chubb Park is."

While many residents were opposed to the unknown financial and traffic burden that adding the fields would impose on the township, others were enthusiastic about the potential new addition.

One of the supporters was an upcoming sixth-grade Mendham and Chester lacrosse player who stated that a turf field would be beneficial because teams are currently unable to practice on days when the field is frozen.

In Mendham Township, there have been ongoing conversations about funding potential upgrades to Mosle Field, including new lighting on the football field, baseball field and parking lot.

Mosle Field is currently used by the Twin Boro Bears football and cheerleading program and the Mendham Chester Patriots baseball/softball program, which both serve over 500 youth athletes.