Westfield Council Approves $14K Assessment Of Edison Fields Project

WESTFIELD, NJ — Last week, Westfield Town Council passed a resolution that will allow CME Associates, an engineering firm, to perform an assessment of the proposed Edison Fields Project — an endeavor that has been hotly contested in the town.

Estimated to cost around $9 million, the Edison Fields Project involves installing three turf fields at Edison Intermediate School. At last week's town meeting, the council approved a resolution to award a $14,000 contract to CME associates to perform an assessment of the fields.

According to Mayor Shelley Brindle's recent update, awarding the contract is the next phase of the town's "due diligence process." She said the engineering firm will review the current proposal and address outstanding questions by residents.

The assessment will also include a review of the cost analysis to date, capacity and use assumptions for both natural grass and turf with and without lights, as well as an analysis of incremental benefits of each solution relative to expense and capacity, such as reliability and expected maintenance downtime.

Many residents have spoke out at past town meetings, voicing concerns about environmental and health issues related to synthetic turf fields.

Read more: $9 Million Project For New Turf Field Worries Westfield Residents

A professional field manager also weighed in on the discussion in February, explaining the pros and cons of turf fields and natural grass fields.

Read more: Westfield Turf Debate Continues: Pro Field Manager Weighs In

Councilman Mark Parmelee said the town has been discussing this project for over a year now and that the council has listened to the concerns of residents.

On the flip side, he said the council has also heard from supporters of the project who have implored the council to finally act on delivering "a long overdue field solution" so that their children can safely play sports and no longer have to travel out of town to play their home games.

"It's critical that we arrive at such an important decision transparently and thoughtfully to best serve the community at large," Parmelee said.

Brindle wrote in her update that the town expects to have a final product to review in June, which will be shared with the public.

More information about the details of the Edison Fields Project can be viewed on the town's website.

The full council meeting from last Tuesday can also be viewed on the town's Facebook page.

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