School Board Passes Field Use Policy

It was a moment of celebration for supporters of athletics in Ridgewood, a moment they say village kids have waited too long for.

On Monday night, the school board unanimously passed a resolution in favor of extended use times for village fields , and members in the third floor board room hugged and clapped.

With the school board signing off on the –which allows games to go to 10 p.m. on the now-lighted turf fields at Stevens and RHS Stadium as well as Veterans Field–supporters and coaches of the athletic program say a long overdue change will enormously help provide recreation for a dense village with a numbers problem: .

Although neighbors of the two high school fields throughout the process with both the–which they say were done without consideration to traffic, safety and regard for their quality of living–and the allowance of them being on until 10 p.m. on some nights, none spoke in opposition to the policy's passage on Monday night or attended.

Some of the major concessions made by the citizen, village and school board-represented Fields Committee came in the form of restricting consecutive night 10 p.m. end times to no more than 50 percent of the Friday and Saturday nights on a seasonal basis.

It also proposed restricting 10 p.m. end times during a six week period starting on June 15 to five out of six days each week, which in reality will be shorter because of the July 4 weekend and graduation, said Ed Seavers of the Ridgewood Baseball Softball Association (RBSA) and a Fields Committee member. Only older kids are likely to play until 10 p.m., Seavers said though he forsees a younger team requesting a 10 p.m. end time at some point at Stevens Field.

Committee members said due to a myriad of scheduling variables, making concrete dates a legislative rule would not have made sense.

"It's virtually impossible to predict" how schedules will be made, Paul Sheridan of the Ridgewood Lacrosse Association said. "The solution is to address usage between 9 and 10 p.m. on Stevens and [RHS] Stadium Field."

Members also stressed that all of the lights will not be on at full blast at all times, as some may believe. The lights turn off automatically at 10 p.m. with the exception of one, which "allows for safe egress," Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein said.

Michele Lenhard, the President of the Ridgewood Board of Education said she believes the Fields Committee "incorporated the issues we brought up" into the new document and thanked the committee for "listening to the concerns" of the board and citizens.

The resolution passed unanimously.

Reaction to board voting

Nearly ten residents thanked the board of education and fields committee for its work on the policy, many tying in as a base point. Lee Miller praised the board, telling its members, "Not enough [residents] thank you for the work you do." He added that he "respects the differences" neighbors have but called the revised policy and referendum "a tremendous value" for the kids.

Others, like Jim Albano, said the "strained fields" are getting an overdue addition. Speaking on the extended light times, he said it's "not asking for the world."

Joe Pepola, who's been a softball coach, said it's a "fair and reasonable" proposal and Don Delzio added that the fact that the lights go off at 10 p.m. "nullifies to a great extend the concerns that have been voiced."

Speakers called the policy a positive addition to the $48 million referendum, which significantly upgraded facilities that were often unplayable at times.

However, two residents had tempered their enthusiasm. Resident Ron Verdicchio, who said he didn't necessarily oppose the light project, worried that the board of education was mixing priorities up.

In addition to saying he thought 10 p.m. was too late and kids should be doing homework at that time, Verdicchio took objection to a citizen committee being what he said was the lead when it comes to listening to complaints. "Why are we setting up a system where people with complaints go to a committee of citizens?" he asked, saying officials should be on point. Verdicchio worried it could create confusion.

Although the process by which residents can voice concerns over fields rubbed some the wrong way, member Charles Reilly said the Fields Committee is best equipped to answer initial prompts because "they specialize" and the village and school governing bodies would have "an impossible time" working out all the intricacies, as they did before the creation of the Fields Committee.

"I very much think the system works very well," he said.

Lenhard added that she didn't think the board loses any oversight and member Laurie Goodman reminded the audience that the committee is represented by both village council and school members in addition to village and school officials, as well as the schedule-makers (sport groups) and private citizens.

"There's quite a lot of participation" between school board and village entities, she said.

Both Fishbein and the Village Manager Ken Gabbert can hear any complaint–those bodies are not limited to an appeals process, Board President Michele Lenhard said. She added that going to the fields committee is the most pragmatic option.

Resident Leonard Eisen said those who spoke glowingly for the referendum would be wise to remember the fate of old Giants Stadium, which is no longer in use but has a considerable debt service to the county. The referendum's turf fields, he said, could end the same way.

"These turf fields only have the lifespan of eight-to-ten years," he said. Board members objected that statement with board members Reilly and Goodman adding that only the physical turf carpet has that projection and many live well beyond that span.

"It could last 25 years," Reilly said in response. The referendum was bonded for 30 years worth of payments. At about $5.4 million, field improvements—which also include bleacher updates—make up about 8.6 percent of total referendum costs. The district received about $2.1 million in debt service aid—different from a grant as it is repaid over the life of the bond.

The village council next hears the school board-approved use policy. Both bodies need to approve the measure for it to become enforcable code. It's not clear exactly when the council will hear the policy but it will likely have the Fields Committee make a presentation before voting.