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HAMILTON: Residents wary of new YMCA field proposal

School and YMCA officials emphasized during a presentation at the March 19 Board of Education meeting that the proposal is in preliminary stages.

by James McEvoy, Managing Editor
HAMILTON — Neighbors of the Sawmill Branch of the Hamilton Area YMCA are adamantly against a proposal for new athletic fields, which could include artificial lighting and potentially host township high school athletic events in the future.
   School and YMCA officials emphasized during a presentation at the March 19 Board of Education meeting that the proposal is in preliminary stages.
   Hamilton Area YMCA President and CEO Jim Fell told the board the project would have to be approved by local land use boards as well as Mercer County due to a conservation easement at the site.
   Before all that, Mr. Fell said, the project would have to be approved by the organization’s own board of directors.
   ”We want the project, we’re very committed to the project, but it has to make sense to my board of directors as well as potential donors and other people that may interest in using those fields,” Mr. Fell said.
   ”There’s a long way to go with this project. We have a lot of hurdles to go through,” he added, noting that since the fields were installed over 10 years ago there has been “massive degeneration.”
   Due to the preliminary nature of the project, Mr. Fell provided scant details, but did say they hope to convert athletic fields, one that will be retrofitted for football.
   This was particularly highlighted as a concern by residents wary of night games enabled by artificial lighting.
   The project would also include expanded parking and increased Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility.
   While some board members mentioned issues they were concerned about, including costs and how school athletics would be prioritized versus other uses, other board members felt it was too early for such considerations.
   ”Aren’t we putting the cart before the horse here?” said Board Member Pamela Kelly.
   Superintendent James Parla said however future discussions are handled between the YMCA and the district, it has to be done in an open, public and transparent way.
   ”That’s something that has to be done publicly,” Dr. Parla said. “We’re going to have to talk about how we’re going to communicate.”
   Neighbors of the current site were unanimous with their opposition to the proposal during the public comment portion of the meeting.
   ”The school board and the Y should take care of the facilities they have,” said Bonnie Tillery who resides near the Sawmill Branch.
   Ms. Tillery cautioned the board to be wary of YMCA proposals, noting that initially the facility was intended to be only a summer use and that stadium lighting was not originally incorporated into the fields.
   Joe Leist, also a resident near the fields, told the board to not believe “a word” YMCA officials say.
   ”The YMCA’s field of dreams is its neighbors’ nightmare,” Mr. Leist said, referring to a previous comment from Mr. Field referring to the Sawmill Branch as the organization’s dream come true.
   Ed Pfeiffer and Daniel Dill, both of the North Crosswicks Friends of Open Space, were concerned with about the impact of the proposal on the township’s rural conservation zone.
   Specifically, Mr. Pfeiffer raised concerns about noise pollution and increased traffic at the fields.
   ”It’s wrong on so many levels,” said Mr. Dill of the proposal, adding he was also concerned about environmental impacts.
   Currently, the YMCA leases space in the district. Later that evening, the board approved a new lease agreement with the YMCA.
   The Hamilton Area YMCA was in 1951 and it was officially charged in 1965, according to Mr. Fell.
   In 1991, the YMCA’s building on Whitehorse-Mercerville Road was built. It was formally opened the following year.
   In 2002, the day camp recreational center was opened in the Crosswicks portion of the township, after years of the organization’s youth attending other YMCA facilities for summer day camps.
   This in itself was an issue for concerned neighbors who said the center has expanded to nearly year-round use, something they said was not represented when the YMCA sought initial approvals for the camp.