to build scoreboard
and concession stands
Pop Warner planning move
to town’s new Opatut Park
League is raising funds
to build scoreboard
and concession stands
By linda denicola
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — The Greater Freehold Area Pop Warner youth football organization wants a permanent home, but its members need to raise money for amenities that are not going to be provided by the township. The organization’s future site will be the planned Opatut Park at the corner of Route 79 and East Freehold Road.
According to Pop Warner President Joseph G. Rice, the organization has an agreement with the Township Committee for the permanent location, but needs to raise $170,000 for a lighted scoreboard and a concession stand.
Mayor Raymond Kershaw agrees that the Pop Warner organization needs a permanent place to hold its games.
"They play all of their official games at Freehold Township High School. We want to put two lighted football fields at Opatut Park," Kershaw said.
He explained that the 130-acre property donated by Abe Opatut will be two-thirds developed and will provide much needed recreational facilities on the eastern side of town.
"We want to develop it as a recreational center. There will be four baseball fields, four basketball courts and the two football fields. We are going to build it, maintain it, light it and put a fence up, but Pop Warner wants refreshment stands and a scoreboard for football," the mayor said. "There are things that they want that will be used as part of their income. We think they should pay for (those items)."
Right now there are two football fields at Michael J. Tighe, Georgia Road, but they are just practice fields, Kershaw said. Those football fields will be converted into soccer fields so that all of the soccer fields will be at Tighe Park and the football fields will be at Opatut Park, he explained.
Freehold Pop Warner is entering its 36th year of providing an athletic outlet for hundreds of children from Freehold Borough and Freehold Township.
"The object of our program is to inspire the ideals of sportsmanship, scholarship, physical fitness and teamwork," Rice said.
Opatut Park will be completed in stages. When fully completed, it will also contain a walking trail that connects to other township parks. There will be also be bikeway connections throughout the park. The park will have two entrance/exit roads, both on East Freehold Road. One will be a main entrance with parking for 163 cars.
Greg Valesi of CME Associates, project engineers, estimated that the concept plan will cost around $3 million with the most significant cost being the earth moving work.
Township Administrator Tom Antus has said that the total construction would be phased in over two years. There is $1.2 million in the general capital budget for 2002 and last year the engineering costs were included in the budget, he said.