Renovations to the Mill Pond Park soccer fields should begin sometime this spring.
By: Helen Pettigrew
MONTGOMERY The Township Committee on Thursday hired Applied Landscape Technologies Inc. of Montvale, for about $960,000, to renovate the Mill Pond Park soccer fields on Dead Tree Run Road.
Renovations to the fields should begin sometime this spring, according to committee members Ali Henkel and Peter Treichler. The fields will be seeded in August and should be ready for use in fall 2002, Mr. Treichler said. This is to allow the grass two growing seasons to mature, he said.
The fields were originally built in 1997. Sod and grading work were donated to the township by developer DKM Residential, and township volunteers rolled the sod, Mr. Treichler said.
The fields were seriously damaged when they were used too soon after installation, and two very dry summers prevented the grass from taking root, he said. The ground also may have been too hard for the grass to grow in, he added.
In order to avoid this problem, the new fields will be built with several inches of high-quality organic topsoil and will have a built-in irrigation system, Mr. Treichler said.
Ms. Henkel said the contract includes a guarantee that the company will fix any problems that occur with the general upkeep of the fields for two years after installation.