Hearing, Vote on Turf Tonight

i heard that if 15% of the previously voting public signed a petition, it would have to be on the ballot. anyone know about this? what would be the numbers? or when this would need to be done by?

Funny that you should say that - my husband just asked me to see Mr. Rohal today to inquire about that petition. I believe we should get started on it IMMEDIATELY.
What a shame - the artical stated that THE MAYOR, 2 COUNCIL MEMBERS and the MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC are opposed -then can you tell me why it's going to happen?

seriously? you people are still bitching about this? get over it.

Gotta love the left. They hire lawyers before the vote.

Recall the council.

My son is a senior on the football team. He told me that turf on Hurrell is the worst possible plan. They have played on turf at other schools. Lights would be great. "It's great. We are known for our field." Why have we not heard more from the HS team and its coaches.

Democracy at its finest.

Would the town council also like my ATM card seeing as they seem to know how to spend my money without my input.

Leave Carteret Park alone.

I heard about the 15% of previously voting public thing. I'm new to town and newly registered to vote in NJ. Does this mean I don't get a say, even though I pay taxes like the rest of the town and live near Carteret Park?

Didn't they just spend millions to re-do the real grass at Carteret Park? Why would they now cover it with artificial turf? I am totally against this. I don't live in Glen Ridge but the park is right next to my neighborhood so I feel I have a right to comment on it. What a shame - and such an unnecessary expense! Aren't Glen Ridge taxes high enough already?

Hiding Outside AND I wish I was a Lawyer
Yep - this Bond is the Straw that broke the Camel's Back -
Do either of you want to buy my home when my taxes are $30,000

From the Glen Ridge Voice:

A petition, however, requires signatures from 15 percent of registered voters who took part in the last general assembly election (excluding primaries). Not counting absentee or provisional ballots, little more than 2,718 residents voted in last November's election.

A referendum would then be held either during the regular vote, or a special election would be necessitated.

Since the great Barista knows all, why vote she already somehow knows that a large segment of the community is opposed. Why not mention that 4 council members are for the project, maybe be objective, oh forgot your friends with the mayor...

a great wizard:
you mention debbie is friend with the mayor, so what.
who are these four council members who are for turf friends with? ever think of that?

How many votes does it take to remove the council from office and have new council elections?

Mayor CB listed the voting as followed in a previous talkback session on this issue

Finally, someone asked about which councilpeople will be voting which way. As it stands now, all six councilpersons have come out in favor of most of the bond proposal.

On the Carteret Park component, four are in favor:

Council President Ravi Mehrotra
Councilman Peter Hughes
Councilwoman Elizabeth Brewster
Councilman Art Dawson

and two are opposed:

Councilman Myles Sachs
Councilwoman Linda Seyffarth

Julia, She's writing the article maybe she could be objective. How does she know a large segment is against. As far as who the other council members are friends they aren't using this forum or any forum to mislead...

Great Wizard,

Are you one of those who think we should close the library to pay for the turf? Your spelling and punctuation make it seem so.

O Great Wizard,
I know because I've attended the last three public meetings on this and heard person after person speak against it.

O Great Wizard,
I know because I've attended the last three public meetings on this and heard person after person speak against it.

Wait, wait, wait...let me guess...the 4 council members who are in favor of turfing Carteret Park live nowhere near it. They won't have to deal with the smell, increased radiant surface temperatures around the park and don't use the park currently anyway.

Wait, Wait, Wait so the Park is only for those who live around it, smell? and give it up on the temperture stuff, oh and mighty Barista do you believe a large segment of town has spoken at these meetings maybe the people with kids are home taking care of them and can't sit through listening to the same few people speak at the meetings...

Wizard,

Did you get demoted from Great Wizard because of your run-on sentences and silly rebuttals? I'm sorry to hear that. Petition to the Wizarding Council and maybe, if they can understand your request, they will reinstate your previous status.

Good luck.

Parks are meant for both the larger community (which is why there are playing fields that are used by town wide groups) and for the locals (which is why parks are located in different neighborhoods). The town has to try and find a balance. If the fields at Cateret Park are turfed, there will not be any park left for the locals to use. This hardly seems fair.

The Mayor's solution seems to be a wise compromise. Turf the High School Field and increase its utilization (thereby reducing the wear and tear at Carteret so that it can remain grass) so that the fields at Carteret Park can still be used by the community at large as well as the locals.

Bitpusher,
Very well put, however the town has done numerous studies on field use and even with the Turf at Hurrell and Lights they will still not be able to grow grass or keep sod on Carteret. As of now Carteret is closed a good amount to try to grow grass. Do the residents realize that with Field Turf the Park will never be closed?

The last time this issue was discussed, there was a picture of the "grass field". It's mostly dirt with a few clumps of crabgrass amid broken glass and other refuse. It is not a safe place for anyone to use for recreational activities, except maybe just picnicking.

I don't live in GR, and totally sympathize with being taxed to death. I guess the question I have has to do with people's priorities. Are you willing to pay more than you pay now in order to create safer play areas for everyone?

The last time around on this, some folks had issues with field turf safety. We are not talking about Astroturf! Field Turf is the latest in technology, and minimizes the pounding one would take running on the other artificial surfaces. An additional benefit is that it doesn't get torn up as quickly as grass, and it drains quickly, because it is engineered.

Field Turf is better, hands down. That answers one set of questions. The biggest issue remains Priorities! Good luck GR!

Vote the bums out! (meaning the council).

Lets FINALLY do away with the CCC once and for all.

face

Hiding in Baristaville: Do you really believe that Carteret will be open to the public once the turf is installed? The park will be locked down to protect the investment. 40% less traffic and a non-halfassed attempt to grow grass will go along way to restoring the grass. Have you been to the park? It is not as if the entire thing is a dustbowl.

Lee Blair was probably one of the people in Montclair that wanted the turf so bad. Now no one uses the fields except the schools and the teams the schools lease it to for revenue. You turf it and they will fence it. My kids and I are locked out.
Lee also says, "its engineered", that has to make it good, huh? Read these articles I found with a quick Google search for "artificial turf problems" and think for yourself.

http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/ats/news/2005/synthetic/

http://turf.nmsu.edu/Download/brigham%20young%20study.pdf#search=%22artificial%20turf%20temperatures%22

will it catch on fire like Montclair's

You cannot gauge the sentiments of the entire township by who comes to the council meetings. Typically, when one or a group of people are against something, they will voice their opinion and protest. However, let's not forget that there is a large silent majority that wants this bond issue to pass inclusive of both turf fields. If 700 people came to a council meeting to debate the fields, that is only 10% of the population. So at this point, we need to let our elected officials cast their vote and let government do their job.

And can we please stop making excuses about astro turf, injuries, excessive heat that will make the surrounding neighborhood 200 degrees, etc.

The facts are that the existing fields are terrible and our children deserve more. Parks are for kids to play in, I would imagine the kids will be excited to have a new fieldturf field in their neighborhood to play on, which is what really matters. I haven't seen too many parents out playing soccer at Carteret field lately.

ridgeres,
what about a ....babysitter?
i've got kids and have gone to meetings for years. i guess since my kids aren't playing on the team sports it kind of frees up my time for other things i find inportant, like a council meeting about turf.

As old as tribal conflict... er... football. Grass vs. Astroturf!

Julia,

Not sure what you are trying to say, but I don't think its productive to speak about your specific situation on why you go to council meetings. We have debated the issue to death, now its time to vote and see what happens.

I personally hope they pass the the bond and both fields, but if they don't then I am fine knowing that our representatives have made a decision based on fact and hearing all of the towns comments and concerns.

Lee,
How do you know what the turf looks/feels like? Is there a sample available somewhere that I could look at? Do the councilpersons know what the turf looks/feels like?

Is it the same as brookdale park field? That field is harsh: Hard, hot and pebbley. I don't want my kids practicing and playing on that all the time.

ridgeres,
well, after hearing plenty of personal comments on this site, i feel like i can say whatever i think, which is what i usually do. i don't like turf, i've seen it, i'd hate to live next to it and i personally don't want it or want to pay for it.

The Turf field at Brookdale Park is not fenced off. The only additional restriction that I don't see at grass fields is no dogs allowed.

Has anyone here used it for a pick-up game? How was it?
Has anyone tried playng on it on a summer afternoon? How was the temperature?
Do you prefer it to the grass field?

Would you want your neighborhood park covered with it?

My dog wants to roll on it. Why can't he?

Are cats allowed. I walk myu cat in Brookdale park.

Julia,

I agree with you in that the only issue here should be is whether this is a smart decision from a financial standpoint. Are you willing to pay for this? However, there should be no question that these fields will be a huge improvement over what we have, the kids will love playing on them, they are safe and will not melt the surrounding neighborhood.

Julia,

Is your problem Paying for it or not wanting it? Are you against the whole Bond or just the fields? As far as Field Turf, it's like grass, I would rather put down my blanket on it for a picnic then spread a blanket on the dirt, mud of current Carteret.

Hiding in Baristaville:
Have you been to Catreret Park recently? The entire park is not a giant mud pit as you would make it out to be.

It's not a Mud Pit today, wait until the season really gets going or we have some rain. Or in the Spring when Lacrosse season starts. It was fun watching the other team in Lacrosse kick dirt/dust in our Goalies face so he couldn't see the ball. Great looking Park then.... and by the way that Skate park is really nice too, what about a BB Hoop, oh we already know why thats not there. Swing Sets? It's a joke...

If the park is a joke to you then you must have a bizarre sense of humor. Last time I checked teams still switch ends in lacrosse at half time. Brilliant idea bring in the beloved Field Turf so the JV Freshman lacrosse team does not get dust in their eyes. Maybe we should just dome it so the sun does not bother them either.

Missing the point Snarky, and the field is a disgrace, what do you use the park for?

SnarkyMc,

You must not have any children usuing the fields in Glen Ridge b/c your comments are completely rediculous. The bottom line is that our sports fields are terrible and need to be fixed. By all professional accounts, fieldturf is the surface of choice for many reasons including playability, durability, maintenance, safety, etc. Take a look at the fields in surrounding towns, there are 3 fieldturf surfaces in Montclair and 1 in Brookdale Park. And I would venture to say that in the great majority of cases, if a field has been renovated in 2006 across the country the surface has been fieldturf. We are not pioneers in this regard, it just happens that we are in need of new fields and this is the best surface to date. Given the amount of play our fields get, natural grass is not a viable option.

i don't want turf, really for many reasons. it's not a natural surface, it's not good feeling, it's aesthetically unpleasant, it's an expense that i am not interested in paying for.

res.

"... Need to be fixed. We are not pioneers... just happens that we are in need..."

Hold a bake sale!

"... there was a picture of the "grass field". It's mostly dirt with a few clumps of crabgrass amid broken glass and other refuse. It is not a safe place for anyone to use for recreational activities." Not sure what picture you're looking at, why not go to the field itself? After reading all the hullaboo about this I went jogging around the field, and while it is worn down to dirt in front of the goals and at midfield, what else would you expect? I haven't seen any ambulances come by all summer, so it doesn't seem like anyone was ever seriously hurt by the state of this field. You can twist ankles on turf too. To spend the money they're talking about simply to cover the area in front of goals and midfield is ridiculous.

This issue has become very devisive for our small town. I polled my own children and 50% prefer grass/50% prefer turf. I would love to see this go to a community vote rather than to the council.
When we needed the train station upgraded -we raised the money, when we needed the auditorium upgraded - we raised the money, the Glen... etc. and still our taxes are the highest in the state. There has to be some compromise here.

I don't know how hard the turf is, as I have said repeatedly. I only saw a picture, and that may have been the most unflattering view. I'm only speaking about the improvement a turf field brings to a hard working field. I coached many games where the field had been muddied and puddles abounded. It wasn't that bad, but it damaged the field.

This is a divisive issue, and my comments were not meant to diminish that schism. I added them to this mix because I have run youth programs that possessed both types of fields. Heavy use will put undue stress on grass fields, eventually creating the surfaces that now exist. A town can place all their youth rec activities on one field to limit damage, put in a turf field or continue this cycle. Depending on the weather and the usage, a grass field can survive, fail or prosper. I think the field we are talking about is one of these, without me physically seeing it.

I'm no expert, just a youth sports administrator without a program. M&A is right; there is a compromise hidden in all these opinions.

To answer an earlier question, if "little more than 2,718 residents voted in last November's election" then "little more" than 408 signatures would be needed to require a vote by the electorate.

Now I have a couple of questions after reading RidgeRes' comments. How do you know "there is a large silent majority that wants this bond issue to pass inclusive of both turf fields"? And secondly, why do you believe "our children deserve more"?

My cat deserves more. Put down ther turf so that I can bring my cat to walk and roll on it.

Since so many of you have such strong opinions, why weren't you at the meeting tonight in council chambers? There were maybe 40-50 people there, just a fraction of all the comments made here. Why don't you step away from your computers and come voice your opinion to those who are making the decisions? The council thanked us for our participation, but having followed this topic here on Baristanet, there should have been a lot more, if all of you really had the nerve to show your faces.

Did anyone read the article recently about how a team in Westcheser county (I think) raised money to help one of their opposing teams have a season which had been canceled as a result of budget cuts? Now those kids learned something worth learning.

Jack, I was at other meetings and have communicated with all of the councilmen before the 11th hour when their minds were made up. In fact I spent many, many hours on this subject. I am glad that 40-50 were there tonight.