Kelaher: Girls Ready to 'Play Ball' at New Township Facility

Editor's note: Submitted by Mayor Thomas Kelaher:

Now that the election is over, I can devote my time to a number of ongoing projects that are really going to be great for Toms River.

In this article, I would like to concentrate on our new girl’s softball facility that is being constructed on township-owned property on North Bay Avenue at the intersection of Whitty Road.

Historically, boys played ball and girls sat in the bleachers and watched. Those days are gone forever. There are currently over 900 young girls in Toms River who are in the girl’s softball league, who for years have been treated like step-children when it came to the availability of facilities. 

As we all know, the Toms River Boys Little League program has two magnificent facilities, one on Windsor Avenue and one on Maple Tree, and they are of such a quality that I am sure they contributed to the outstanding record-breaking achievements of both Toms River Little Leagues. Our girls’ softball league teams never knew until the last minute what field they were going to play on because they had to wait until the fields were assigned to boys’ teams.

In any event, the Township of Toms River acquired this attractive land with Open Space money a number of years ago, and it was available for the softball playing facility. In the planning process, we were able to negotiate a $750,000 Open Space Grant from the State of New Jersey Green Acres Program.

Because of the present economic situation in the country, it was determined that this was an ideal time to build this facility. Contractors were anxious for work, and interest rates for bond issues were at historic lows.

Our own engineering department estimated the cost to be approximately $7 million, but because of the reasons stated above, we were able to build the facility for $3.3 million.

This new facility consists of four full-size softball fields and one t-ball field for the younger girls. The four larger fields feature 200 feet from home plate to the centerfield, and the t-ball field has a 125-foot measurement from the home plate to the centerfield. Each field is fully enclosed by fencing with protective padding along the top edges and equipped with two dugouts for the home and visiting teams. 

Because of the fact that all of the infields were sodded, it was agreed that as part of the construction costs we would install sprinkler systems to protect our investment of the sod. All of the fields have been lighted to comply with the AAU Softball Association to meet the requirements for a tournament eligible facility.  Because of this capability, Toms River will be able to host visiting teams on a regular basis. The Chamber of Commerce is happy about this feature because families will be staying overnight at local hotels and eating out at local restaurants in Toms River.

There is a one-mile walking path around the perimeter site featuring dog waste stations. We are presently exploring the erection of fitness stations along the one-mile path. 

Some people have been critical of building the field at this time while people are having their houses foreclosed. Unfortunately, the township, however, would not be able to legally expend any township money to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. As stated above, however, there could not be a better time to build these fields. In addition, this project created jobs for hundreds of tradesmen from almost every building trade such as electricians, carpenters, landscapers, engineers and masons. 

We have every reason to believe that these fields will be ready for play in the spring of 2012, and I look forward to throwing out the first pitch.