WEST WINDSOR: Council bans golf balls in town parks

By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
   WEST WINDSOR — The Township Council has approved an ordinance that prohibits hitting golf balls in township parks and recreation land.
   The amendment to township policy, enacted Monday night, came in response to complaints from residents who said golf balls left on the ground were posing a danger to soccer players, who could step on them and suffer ankle injuries.
   They said golfers have been practicing at the Conover Road Athletic Complex, near the Mercer Oaks Golf Course, which has a football field, three soccer fields and four baseball fields.
   Recreation employees also reported the golf balls were causing damage to township lawnmowers, portable lights for athletic fields and storage containers. When run over by a lawnmower, the balls were being thrown out like projectiles, endangering park users.
   But it might not be the permanent end to residents practicing their drives on public land. Councilman George Borek asked the administration to look into possibly designating a public area for golfers to practice.
   Also at the meeting, the council voted to authorize a professional service contract with P.M. Construction for the first phase of the Heatherfield Sanitary Sewer Extension, in the amount of $730,312.50.
   It was by far the lowest of 17 bids, which went as high as $1.9 million, township engineer Francis Guzik said. It came in below an engineering estimate of $1,026,086.
   Funding for the project is paid for initially by the township, and recovered by tax assessments on the homeowners in the affected development
   However, he told the council, it was a responsible bid. The details of the project were fully explained to the contractor, who reported a need of work in the slow economy, he said.
   The extension will bring 84 residents into the sewer system, with 67 included in the first phase of construction. The second phase would involve a pump station and require Planning Board approval, Mr. Guznik said.[mrh: It would include how many residents? 84-67=17. I don’t think it’s necessary to add another number here.]
   The council also authorized several other professional services agreements that were related to the Princeton Junction redevelopment plan, including one for legal services from the firm of Planning Board attorney Gerry Muller for an amount not to exceed $32,500.
   Another agreement with Maser Consulting for land use planning services was approved, in an amount not to exceed $12,830.
   Council members chose to defer several issues on the agenda to a later date.
   A final $10,000 payment to architectural firm RMJM Hillier for its work on the draft redevelopment plan for the train station area was deferred until March 16.
   The firm recently has assisted with editing the draft and its maps during the township’s revision process. In October, it presented the latest draft redevelopment plan to the council.
   Councilwoman Heidi Kleinman said she wanted to see the most recent changes before the final payment is made.
   ”If we had the document, I’d feel more comfortable voting for this,” she said.
   A public hearing on the land use ordinance for the redevelopment plan is scheduled for March 23.
   The council also deferred a recommendation from the Public Works department. It had requested approval for up to $14,500 for engineering services to design a vehicle and equipment wash-down facility. Council members requested more details on the proposal.