Walter T. Bergen Field Drainage Improvements Discussed By Council

While the is still on hold until voters decide to support or not support the project on a referendum, the continued to discuss improvement projects at the field Tuesday.

The council specifically discussed repairing drainage issues on the field. Drainage concerns were originally brought to the council by Bloomingdale resident and B&B United Soccer Club President Ray Yazdi when the council was considering the lighting project on the field, as Yazdi said the drainage and lighting should be taken care of at the same time.

Yazdi said the field was in dangerous playing condition for children in the soccer club, who come from not only Bloomingdale but Butler and Kinnelon as well.

Last month, the council decided to that would have been paid back from the borough's Recreation and Open Space Establishment (ROSE) Fund in payments of about $23,000 per year over the next 20 years. The council majority said the lighting project was too costly and they instead voted in favor of putting the lighting project on a referendum, asking voters this fall if they would like to see lighting installed at the field.

ROSE Fund money is collected as a separate tax on taxpayers' bills after voters approved the fund by referendum in 2001.

After Yazdi brought drainage issues to light at the April 26 meeting, resident Brian Spellman volunteered his services and said he knows other residents who would be willing to take on the drainage issues at little to no cost if it would help move the lighting project along. Council President Linda Huntley asked Mayor Jon Dunleavy Tuesday if the offer for the drainage work still stands now that the lighting is on hold for the referendum.

"The initial offer was made in an effort to save the lights," he said.

Dunleavy said he was unsure whether the contractors would still be interested in completing the drainage work and, when asked by Councilwoman Linda Shortman, said that he was unsure if the result of the referendum would change their willingness to complete the work at the same cost  as was previously offered.

"That's very disappointing that they would be willing to do it for lights but they're not willing to do it to help out the town for drainage and safety issues," Huntley said.

"They were as dissapointed that the lights failed," the mayor replied.

The council also discussed bonding for the $120,000 spent on improvements to the Walter T. Bergen School field to date to be used to pay back the borough's capital fund. The mayor recommended that the borough bond for the drainage repairs at the same time. The council agreed to hold off on voting on that bond ordinance until its next meeting on Aug. 23.