For football at CHS
To the editor:
I want to explain why I think it is important to start a high school football program in Hopewell Valley. In addition to the fact that it is fun, increases community spirit, provides additional activities for teens and may provide more scholarship opportunities, it’s also about equity and fairness.
According to information from the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, all Group II public high schools provide their students with the opportunity to participate in a football program except for one. That one Group II high school in New Jersey without a football program is Hopewell Valley Central High School.
Schools are classified into one of four groups according to size of enrollment of students in grades 10-12. The fact that HVCHS is the third largest Group II school in the state further warrants the addition of football.
It has been shown, through the recent survey and through Pop Warner registration results that there is enough interest by the students in the Hopewell Valley school system to field a freshman football team this coming fall.
Everyone does not need to like football as a sport. Every student does not need to support or participate in this program. Many will choose different activities that the high school has to offer. Any of these activities alone has a minority number of students involved. That does not mean they do not indirectly benefit a majority of the students.
The students of Hopewell Valley deserve the opportunity to choose whether or not to participate in a football program. Hopewell Valley Central High School deserves the benefits that football will bring.
Kris A. Kley, Hopewell Township
Proud to support Back Timberlane
To the editor:
In March 1999 the Recreation Roundtable met for the first time to explore the issues and concerns that were common to all recreational organizations in the Valley funding and facilities. In April 1999 a letter inviting the governing bodies to be part of the solution to the recreational challenges of a growing community was published in the local newspapers as a way of sharing the process with the community. Mayors Kathy Bird-Maurice, Susan Riley and George Padgett came to the table and representatives from the governing bodies have participated ever since.
Lacrosse representatives introduced the Long Range Planning Committee 1992 Fields and Facilities Subcommittee Report with unrealized recommendations for the Back Timberlane site. The plan was reviewed as a possible collaborative project and again publicized in the local papers as a shared goal. The school district joined the conversation. The site location next to the community’s secondary schools seemed ideal and was in compliance with local land use ordinances.
The idea is not a new one. Each goal of the Roundtable emerged from unfinished work in the community as we anticipated the arrival of a recreation director to plan with the community for the future.
Plans reflecting needs as well as compromises were prepared and possible financial partners were approached. A decision was made that it was in the best interest of the project and the community to establish a nonprofit foundation to continue the public process.
In June 2000 the project was presented at a public meeting to the Hopewell Township Committee with full coverage of the proposal in the local press. A vote by the committee allocated funds available to the community from developers for recreational purposes to the project pending necessary approvals. A resolution from the school board also supported the project by making the Back Timberlane site available for this use.
Concerns from neighbors about the project prompted a public meeting in September 2000 for the purpose of presenting the project, answering questions to the best of our ability based on where we were in the planning process, and hearing the specific concerns expressed including the effect of irrigation on existing water supply , drainage, traffic, buffers and lighting.
A formal traffic study has been submitted as part of the application to the Hopewell Township Planning Board. Drainage concerns are addressed in the engineering component of the plan. By regulation no additional run-off can be generated from the site. Township engineers together with engineers for the project and the school district have worked together to go beyond the requirements of the project to address existing problems along Pennington-Titusville Road. Feedback from the Application Review Committee in January combined with the concerns expressed by the neighbors resulted in changes to the initial plan:
Irrigation and field lighting have been removed from this application. Conduit for irrigation and field lighting has been eliminated. Conduit for irrigation and lighting were initially included should there be a need for irrigation or lighting in the future.
The large parking lot along Scotch Road has been removed. In conjunction, the landscape buffer in this area has increased from a 40-foot- wide newly-planted buffer to a buffer averaging 70 feet of existing woodland and 30 feet of newly planted meadow on the interior side of the buffer
. The smaller parking lot on Pennington-Titusville Road has been adjusted so that no entrance is opposite existing homes. Additionally a 4-foot-high berm has been added to the buffer along with a densely planted screen of red cedars, native shrubs, and native shade trees. A drive- through drop-off point has also been added to this lot.
The parking lot on Pennington-Titusville Road includes handicap and bus parking and has been expanded to include islands for shade trees.
Landscape plantings all use plants native to Central New Jersey and 35 trees existing on the site will be transplanted as part of the plan.
A storm water detention basin is proposed to be constructed near the corner of Scotch and Pennington-Harbourton roads. The basin is designed to address existing flooding problems along Pennington-Harbourton Road.
Today, March 8, from 7-9 p.m. we will host an open house at the Hopewell Township Branch of the Mercer County Library to give residents an opportunity to view the plans which have been filed and will be reviewed by the Hopewell Township Application Review Committee in preparation for presentation to the Planning Board. Members of the Roundtable and professionals working on the project will be available to address individual questions and concerns.
Our desire to work cooperatively is inherent in the volunteer collaboration we have established and sustained! Efforts to address community recreational needs, find private funding, listen to all issues and concerns, move through the planning process, stay in touch and compromise have resulted in a project we are proud to support!
Sheryl Stone, chairman, Municipal Alliance, Foundation trustee
Mark Reading, Hopewell Valley Soccer Club and Foundation trustee
Brad Brewster, Hopewell Valley Lacrosse League, Foundation trustee
Bob Prewitt, Foundation trustee, former board of education president
Lew Pepperman, Foundation trustee
Tom Bartlett, Hopewell Valley Baseball-Softball Association
Tom Burns, Hopewell Valley Pop Warner Football
Mark Clements, Hopewell Valley Pop Warner Football
Doug Farr, Nassau Hockey League
Deanna Harrell, executive director, Hopewell Valley YMCA
Alice Huston, Hopewell Borough Council and Parks and Recreation
Warren Lewis, American Legion baseball
Pat Papenberg, Pennington Parks and Recreation
Greg Raschdorf, Hopewell Valley Lacrosse League
Jim Rigel, Hopewell Valley Soccer Association
Ona Rose, president, Bulldog Booster Club
Gary Smith, Hopewell Valley Soccer Association
Robert Sopko, superintendent, Hopewell Valley Regional School District
Steve Timko, athletic director, Hopewell Valley Regional School District
Sally Turner, president, Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education
On Bird’s comments
To the editor:
Kathy Bird made comments at a recent Hopewell Township Committee meeting which should be addressed.
I served as municipal attorney to Hopewell Township until March 1999 when, at the behest of Ms. Bird, I was replaced by the nonpolitically connected Senate Majority Leader. Ms. Bird now complains that contracts were given by the Township Committee to persons with local political connections and that such actions were unethical. The record shows that Ms. Bird voted in favor of each one of the professional service agreements of which she now complains.
In her statements at the Hopewell Township Committee meeting, she mischaracterized these agreements as "no bid contracts." Although the law allows professional service agreements to be awarded without bidding, Richard Van Noy, then administrator, and I specifically solicited quotes from three appraisers prior to the award of a contract. The committee, Ms. Bird included, unanimously approved the contract.
Mr. Bird also mischaracterizes the rationale underlying efforts to obtain a contract for sewer service with the City of Trenton. Merrill Lynch was not the compelling factor. In fact, Merrill Lynch had already entered into an agreement with the Ewing-Lawrence Sewer Authority, and was not in need of sewer service. At that time, the township was confronted with exorbitant fees being charged by ELSA to residents of Brandon Farms, as well as the inability to provide sewer service to areas of the township with failing septic systems. Merrill Lynch was a mechanism to finance a connection to Trenton sewers so as to liberate the township from the demands of ELSA for high fees and ELSA’s refusal to consider any additional service to failing septic areas.
Ms. Bird consistently supported the Merrill Lynch project, declaring at numerous public meetings, along with Jon Edwards, that she was not opposed to Merrill Lynch. Only recently has she attempted to alter the record by claiming that she was opposed to Merrill Lynch. This latest fabrication came in the context of her "nonpolitical" employment with the State of New Jersey.
David J. Kenny, Hartsough, Kenny and Chase
Back Timberlane worries
To the editor:
I am writing this letter to express my concerns regarding the issues surrounding the expansion of the ball fields at Back Timberlane.
Let me first assert that our children certainly need more structured activities, not fewer, and so I would fully support any sort of organized recreation for young people. However, such programs should be designed with both the safety of our children and also be sensitive to the needs of the community.
With that in mind, I am concerned with how the school board, and the Recreation Foundation, could allow such an ambitious undertaking without considering the traffic impact in an area that has already seen a dramatic increase in automobile volume. The intersection of Route 31 and Pennington-Titusville Road approaches gridlock during the morning and afternoon rush. It does not take a great stretch of the imagination to visualize what an added 250 cars (which is the anticipated capacity of the playing fields) would contribute to both the safety and traffic congestion of the immediate area. Currently there are far too many cars using this route to access Scotch Road and 295. The added crush of traffic during a sporting activity could not only create automobile congestion that would rival an urban community, but also pose a significant safety issue for the surrounding school environment. It would be more than tragic if there was a traffic casualty involving any of our citizenry. Unfortunately, the board and the Recreation Foundation are silent on this issue.
In Robert Sopko’s letter to the editor of Jan. 25, where he addressed the need for more playing fields, he asserted that ".. Hamilton Township, also has a very large municipal facility such as Veteran’s Park." Doesn’t Hopewell Township. have an equally large facility such as Rosedale Park? I don’t believe either comparison is valid, but the point that remains unanswered is how Hamilton Township, with two high schools, can manage quite well on fewer playing fields than Hopewell Valley, with its one high school.
Dr. Sopko also points out that the difference in finishing Phase I of the playing fields, ($1.2 million) and the current amount available ($850,000) would have been spent transporting teams to other sites for practices and games. I found that a three-hour local bus trip for a game should cost the district at most $100. Does this mean the school bus budget is $350,000 a year? That is enough for 19 bus trips a day for the entire 180-day school year. I certainly think there is some error here.
Finally, Sally Turner indicated that some of the playing fields at Back Timberlane are "played-out." I couldn’t agree with her more. The conditions of those fields are deplorable. However, I believe the more appropriate choice of words should be "poorly-maintained," not "played-out." Land does not "play out" or "wear out" unless it was never properly maintained in the first place. Shouldn’t the board be putting our children’s safety first by ensuring that the facilities are safe to use? And, by the same measure, what assurances do we have that such an ambitious project such as the one at Back Timberlane does not degenerate into a similar state of affairs, with poorly maintained fields that require even more tax dollars to remediate?
It would seem that the Recreation Foundation and the board need to reassess the Back Timberlane field expansion, and consider perhaps a more viable location, such as the acreage already designated for recreation near the township municipal building. This location offers many more advantages to the current proposed expansion, with few if any of the number of problems that I have outlined. I believe this location offers a winning solution for the entire Hopewell community, and deserves serious consideration.
Carl Buonafede, Hopewell Township
Support new fields
To the editor:
I urge everyone with children in Hopewell Valley to support the field complex planned for Back Timberlane.
For the past 20 years I have been very involved in both the recreation and travel soccer organizations in the Valley, as a coach and manager. I have three children who have been very active in the high school athletic programs and I in turn have been an active member of the Bulldog Booster Club, which is dedicated to supporting these programs.
I speak from experience when I say we need these fields. Frankly, I can’t remember when we ever had enough fields, even before the lacrosse and football associations were formed. Now, because of these new programs and the significant increase in the number of children participating in the established soccer and baseball/softball programs the shortage is more acute.
The high school also has expanding requirements, which makes this need even more critical. Robert Sopko, our superintendent of schools, in a Guest Opinion piece in the Hopewell Valley News last December said: " The school district is experiencing the need for more playing fields. The enrollment increase, which is expected to last for at least the next decade, creates the need for expanded athletic opportunities."
Please don’t just sit back and assume this recreational complex will happen without your help. Let your township, county and school board elected officials know that you support this essential community project.
Eric Bradshaw, Hopewell Township
Library needs more space!
To the editor:
Several weeks ago, the Board of Trustees of the Hopewell Public Library presented its strategic plan to the Hopewell Borough Council. While there were several members of the community in attendance and the Hopewell Valley News ran an article on the presentation, this letter is intended to expand on one point.
At present, the library is used to its maximum capacity. Almost 20,000 books were checked out last year, from our collection of 14,000 items. A total of 9,300 adults and 5,750 children walked through our doors to use our resources. The children’s story time and arts programs fill our space capacity. Our bookshelves are stocked to overflowing. To handle future needs, we seem to need more space.
During the past year especially, a planning committee has been exploring several options for increased or better-utilized library space. The possibilities include: (1) expand and/or renovate the current library building; (2) purchase and move to one of several available buildings on Broad Street; and (3) build on borough-owned property near the railroad station. All three options have their proponents and are being thoroughly investigated, although purchase of a larger existing building may not be financially viable. The board and council would welcome additional public input before making a long-term commitment to any one location. We want to make the best decision for the library and for the community.
David O. Anderson, treasurer, Board of Trustees of Hopewell Public Library
CARAC survey said…
To the editor:
I have read with interest the many letters to the editor regarding the proposed athletic complex on Back Timberlane property. I would like to remind our politicians, community leaders and citizens that on Feb. 7, 1994, Ordinance No. 94-965 was adopted by the Hopewell Township Committee. This created the Community Activities and Recreation Advisory Committee (CARAC) "to develop and coordinate, integrate and amplify under one organization, the various programs and services available to residents of Hopewell Township for recreation and community activities."
Initially, CARAC surveyed known organized sports organizations within Hopewell Township and several responded that more fields (baseball and soccer, primarily) were necessary. Subsequently (1995), a township-wide survey was conducted to determine what recreation services, facilities and activities were both utilized as well as needed by township residents.
When citizens were asked what top 15 outdoor facilities were believed most needed, 25 percent of all township households responded that some type of trails system was the primary priority. The date indicated that trails with mixed usage (walking, jogging, nature, bicycling) would be preferred. Swimming and ice skating facilities were ranked as the next most desired outdoor facilities. Although CARAC received requests to construct additional ball fields from the sports organizations and individual citizens, soccer fields and baseball/softball fields were ranked the 11th and 12th most needed outdoor facilities by township residents.
Of course, some may argue that the CARAC survey was flawed in some manner and did not capture the true recreational desires and needs of the community. However, more recently, Mercer County residents were surveyed to determine how best to utilize Mercer County Park Northwest. This survey, conducted by the Princeton Survey Research Center, found that Mercer County residents overwhelmingly preferred passive recreational facilities (such as hiking and bicycle trails) rather than active recreational facilities (such as golf or soccer).
It is incumbent on our local government and community leaders to carefully balance the needs of sports organizations against the desires of our Valley residents for passive recreational facilities. Furthermore, I hope that the Hopewell Township Committee and especially our new recreation director will study these earlier surveys so that they can carefully consider and act on the survey recommendations.
Joan E. Bauer, former CARAC member, Hopewell Township
Applause for Back Timberlane
To the editor:
As a lifetime resident , I am writing to express my whole-hearted support in favor of the Back Timberlane project. I consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to participate, serve as a coach, be a spectator and volunteer as an organizer of our recreational programs. These programs represent one of the most positive features of our community.
I applaud the Recreational Roundtable for their unselfish efforts to establish a recreational facility that not only addresses our current shortfall of athletic fields but also hedges the future needs of a growing population. I commend their wisdom to collaborate with the school board to develop a plan utilizing private funds that will satisfy both the school and community needs. I appreciate their responsible approach to planning by hiring Shearon Environmental Design which will insure a quality finished product.
To those detractors, I propose that the Back Timberlane project is a needed, logical and responsible step in meeting the changing needs of our community. We all live close to something; a school, farm, busy road, playground, business, church, park or a ball field that’s what makes it a community. Let’s move on.
Gary Smith, Pennington
Children deserve no less
To the editor:
This letter is in response to the unfair and unfounded criticisms of the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education made by the group of neighbors (SAFE-T) who live near Timberlane Middle School.
Their letter appeared in the Feb. 22 edition of the Hopewell Valley News and expressed opposition to the creation of much needed playing fields on school owned property behind Timberlane Middle School.
It is disturbing that the group would go so far as to assert that the school board and the Recreation Foundation of Hopewell Valley have been unresponsive to their questions and concerns. That is simply not true. Similarly, there is absolutely no basis for the group to claim that the school board and the Recreation Foundation have not been willing to revisit the plans for Back Timberlane to attempt to minimize environmental impacts.
This letter sets the record straight so that all citizens of the Hopewell Valley will clearly understand that there has been an ongoing and continuous dialogue with SAFE-T concerning Back Timberlane. In this regard, SAFE-T has availed itself of the opportunity to speak with and make presentations to members of the school board, the township committee, and the borough councils.
An open meeting was sponsored by the Recreation Roundtable on Sept. 26, 2000 before the Hopewell Township Committee and the school board at which time concerns of the SAFE-T group of neighbors were discussed. In a subsequent meeting before the school board, a first round of changes to the Back Timberlane plans were publicly addressed in response to the concerns raised by the Timberlane neighbors. A second round of changes to the Back Timberlane Plans occurred following the first presentation of the plans to the Hopewell Township Application Review Committee. Yet a third round of changes occurred most recently and involved the removal from the plans of all field lighting conduits.
The Recreation Foundation’s spokesperson has maintained an ongoing conversation with the Timberlane area neighbors and remains available to them. Moreover, the Recreation Foundation is sponsoring another open house on March 8 (tonight) from 7-9 p.m. at the Hopewell Township Library. The Recreation Foundation of Hopewell Valley is a non-profit organization whose mission is to facilitate private, tax-exempt funding for the Back Timberlane project and to ensure public access to the process. True to its mission, the Recreation Foundation has provided community and neighborhood groups such as SAFE-T a continuous and ongoing opportunity to state concerns and to provide input concerning the Back Timberlane project. SAFE-T communicated its concerns about a number of issues including irrigation, drainage, size of buffer areas, noise, lighting and traffic. In response to input received from SAFE-T, substantial and significant changes and accommodations have been made to the Back Timberlane project plans. Among the changes are the following:
A large parking lot along Scotch Road has been replaced with a much smaller parking area. The entrance to the lot has been adjusted so it is not opposite any existing homes. A 4-foot high berm planted with native shrubs and shade trees has been added as a buffer. The landscape buffer has been widened to 70 feet of existing woodland outside and 30 feet of newly planted meadow inside. The parking lot on Pennington-Titusville Road (between the high school and Timberlane) has been expanded for overflow parking and bus parking and includes shade trees in islands. Landscaping for the whole site has been redesigned to all native plants. About 35 existing trees will be transplanted on the site. A storm water detention basin has been added near the corner of Scotch and Pennington-Harbourton roads to help alleviate an existing flooding problem along the road. All field lighting and preparations for lighting including conduits have been removed from the plans at the request of neighborhood residents. Irrigation with wells has been eliminated from the plan. Five tennis courts have been eliminated from the plan.
The Back Timberlane Project Plans are being developed in a responsible manner with real and significant input from SAFE-T and other community groups. We urge the citizens of the Hopewell Valley to embrace this project. Our children deserve no less.
Lesa Aldridge, Hank Boucher,
Chris Brookes, Dave Coats,
Chris Crowell, Dennis Devlin,
Tom Gallagher, David Garber,
Toni Lewis, Mark Reading,
Jim Rigel, Gary Smith,
Linda Stephan,Ian Sutherland,
Mike Swiatocha, Dan Toto,
Alan Upperco, George White
Board of Directors, Valley Soccer Association
CHS has concerns, too
To the editor:
In response to the recent and ongoing interest regarding the destruction of woodland to create athletic fields behind Timberlane, I would like to share the results of a poll that was conducted by a group of students within the last month at Hopewell Valley CHS. The poll was given to students of all grades during lunch periods, and asked for their opinions on this matter. The first question was posed to gauge students awareness of the issue, and was followed up by a straight-forward description of the proposed facilities. Next, the students were asked what their opinions were.
Fifty-nine percent of the students responding were not in favor of and do not support the plans to develop the area. Of the 38 percent respondents who thought it was a good idea, it seemed that many of them were under the misconception that the new fields would be used for gym classes. They wrote those thoughts in the "comments" section of the survey. (It seems it would not be possible for CHS students to utilize the proposed fields during gym, since they are located quite far from the high school. Walking over there and back would almost take up half of the class period.)
Some other comments written by these students were: "there are many more academic ways to spend the money." "My family moved to Hopewell to avoid this sort of thing," and "The woods are there…to provide privacy to the people living in those houses." The comments on the surveys hit such a wide range of concerns that all residents should weigh before this issue is approved.
Admittedly, this is an unscientific survey, but I think it reflects the strong attitudes and opinions of Hopewell Valley’s future voters, who stand to lose or gain as much as any others from poor decisions that might be made simply because a small group wants this for everyone. It should be understood from the results of this survey that the people living near the Timberlane fields are not the only ones concerned about the construction of the fields. Those of us throughout Hopewell Valley who have concerns should speak out now.
Jacqueline Alexander, senior, HVCHS
