New plan for baseball team approved

Despite an initial strikeout, the township has scored with a new plan to construct a ball field for local children.

By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
   The Township Committee unanimously approved a resolution Nov. 27 to allow Hiland Construction Services, Inc. to build a ball field on the property adjacent to the Hillsborough Promenade, on Route 206, at no cost to the township.
   In August, the committee outlined a plan to allow the construction company to upgrade an already existing baseball field on Surrey Drive for the 9-year-old members of the Boro Bombers traveling baseball team. Hiland Construction is owned by a parent of one of the team members, and the company offered to do the work at no cost.
   On Sept. 25, more than 30 residents living near Surrey Drive requested the committee to rescind the plan, saying there were concerns about the dangers of speeding drivers and a lack of restroom facilities at the location.
   The approval was rescinded, and Hiland Construction instead volunteered to build the field near the Promenade.
   According to Mayor Anthony Ferrera, the township looked into possible soil disturbance and surrounding wetlands in the area before approving the proposal, but found this only to be a problem at the edge of the property, away from where the children would be playing.
   The field itself will sit on about two acres of the 20-acre site adjacent to the Promenade, which was given to the township in 2000 by Krame Development, developer of the Hillsborough Promenade, for parks and recreation use. Rich Resavy, director of parks and recreation, said the baseball field is only one piece of a proposed plan for the area.
   ”We are looking to have a diverse mix of passive and active recreation in that area,” he said. “There is already an ice skating pond, and a bike path has been proposed. We are also trying to keep part of the area open for concerts and other events.”
   Mr. Resavy said the township is also looking to secure parking spaces in the Promenade for the park, and, at this point, have about 20 reserved.
   ”Because of where the park is located, (near the shops of the Promenade), people want to go there,” he said.
   Virginia Hutson, president of Chapter B of the Hillsborough Senior Citizens, questioned the location of the baseball field, saying that that park had once been looked at as a location for a possible senior center.
   Kevin Davis, township clerk, said this would not be possible because, when the space was given to the township, it was designated as open space. This means, he said, that nothing can be built on the land, and it must be used for parks and recreation.
   Overall, the baseball field is a first step in a plan to turn the area adjacent to the Promenade into a usable park.
   ”The field fits into our overall plan,” Mr. Resavy said. “We have been wanting to put a park at the Promenade area.”