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Here we are in the middle of February
2007, and what is the current status of Meisel Avenue Field? Will it be
ready in a month or two for the start of the baseball season and other
sports?
Has anyone heard any reports about its progress or
completion from the five members of the Springfield Township Committee
or the nine members of the Springfield Board of Education? Many
announced deadlines have been missed. Currently, only the running track
and a walking path around the pond are finished. The two baseball fields
and soccer fields are not useable. What about the field house and snack
bar renovations, or the grandstands and proposed kiddie playground?
Meisel Avenue Field is the property of Union County, but it
is used by our Jonathan Dayton High School athletes. For seven years,
Union County engineers and sub-contractors have been working to reopen
this park, which is vastly enjoyed by Springfield residents as well as
others. The athletes of Jonathan Dayton High School desperately need it
for training, and for their home games and practice. While this field is
still out of use, they have to avail themselves of costly and
time-consuming bus transportation to the athletic facilities at high
schools in Millburn and Kenilworth at an added expense to taxpayers.
In the Jan. 26 issue of "The Star-Ledger," there
was a photograph of heavy-duty building machinery working on a
"new" county park in Clark, as authorized by the Union County
Parks and Recreation Department. There was also accompanying commentary
stating the opposition of some Clark residents who are anticipating
excessive noise and street traffic upon its completion since many of
their homes border this planned park. The county also scheduled the
dredging of a lake on Union County Park property.
In two of my letters to the editor in The Observer in
December 2005, I asked why our local politicians and school board
members did not put pressure on the freeholders. Surely, the incomplete
Meisel Avenue Field work should take precedence over new land
construction for some recently purchased open space property in Clark.
Why is not the Meisel Avenue Field project being given
first priority since this recreation facility can be enjoyed sooner by a
greater number of people than the Clark project?
Most importantly, why don't all five Springfield Township
Committee members and nine Springfield Board of Education members unite
and visit the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders at one of their
regular meetings, or privately meet with them in Elizabeth to expedite
some action for the speedy completion of Meisel Avenue Field?
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