Monday, October 22, 2012
Legislators drafted bill that would create Highlands requirement exemptions for turf on municipal fields.
The Kinnelon Council has not given up the fight to be able to install artificial turf on municipally-owned fields and the borough now has support from two state legislators. The borough council had originally considered installing artificial turf on the field behind the Kinnelon Road municipal building, but was advised by the borough engineer that because the borough is located in an area protected by the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act, too many New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection exemptions would be needed for the project to come to fruition. Board of education property, however, is exempt from many of the restrictions of the law and the borough has been working with Kinnelon Board of Education members to see if…
Sunday, September 16, 2012
First layer of Kinnelon High School track installed as turf talk continues for football field.
The first layer of the renovated Kinnelon High School track has been installed and the project is continuing to move forward, according to Business Administrator Jim Minkewicz. The total cost of the project is about $327,000 and the new track will have a six-year warranty, Minkewicz said. The 12-year-old track was recommended for repair after the condition of the surface had deteriorated. Minkewicz said the base of the track had deteriorated as well and was in poor condition. The renovations have not been consistently ongoing, rather, in conjunction with activities at the high school. "They coordinated the layers with the games," Minkewicz said. Several more layers are needed before the final stage, striping, is completed. Minkewicz said …
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Discussions continue on how to improve playing conditions.
The Kinnelon Council has been discussing the installation of an artificial turf field to no avail for seven years now, according to Councilman Jim Freda. Freda expressed his frustration at the council's work session meeting Thursday. This year, Freda has even gotten the Kinnelon Public Schools Board of Education involved and discussed working together to install artificial turf on the Kinnelon High School field. But the discussions have not yet led to any concrete progress on the project. "We've been talking about this for about seven years now and we still are nowhere," Freda said. "If we're serious about partnering with the high school ... then we need to start moving forward." Freda said he feels the borough needs to act on the field …
Friday, June 22, 2012
Turf allowed on school district but not borough property.
The battle to bring a turf athletic field to Kinnelon continued at Thursday night’s meeting of the Kinnelon Council, as members of the council spoke out against a New Jersey Highlands Committee ruling that the borough is prohibited from installing turf fields because of its role in water preservation for the surrounding area. Councilman Jim Freda noted that the ruling is contradictory, as the Kinnelon school district has already been given the green light to raise funds for the eventual installation of a turf field at Kinnelon High School. “The fact that the Highlands Committee came in and said, ‘You can’t put a turf field in Kinnelon because you’re a core water area of New Jersey, but you can put it in your school system,' it makes me say…
40.99689
-74.37784
Kinnelon Borough
130 Kinnelon Rd, Kinnelon, NJ
/articles/highlands-ruling-on-turf-construction-riles-council
755931
/locations/7301939
Monday, March 19, 2012
Councilman continues to advocate for field restorations.
In anticipation of spring and the recreation sports season, several Kinnelon community organizations will be joining forces for a day of field cleanup and beautification at the three recreation fields in the borough on March 24. Recreation Lacrosse Coach Mike Elefonte is spearheading the event, funded through a Clean Communities grant, which will be held for the first time in the borough this year. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., volunteers will be picking up trash, painting buildings and spreading awareness about keeping the facilities clean at the Kinnelon Recreation Park, Boonton Avenue fields and fields behind the Kinnelon Municipal Building on Kinnelon Road. The event's slogan and name is "Team Up to Clean Up." "'Team Up to Clean Up' is the …
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Fundraising organization for artificial turf field at Kinnelon High School obtaining 501(c)(3) status.
The committee formed to fundraise for the artificial turf field being planned for Kinnelon High School will soon begin collecting donations, according to Kinnelon Councilman Jim Freda. A fundraising committee was formed after the Kinnelon Council and Kinnelon Board of Education decided to move forward with a project for a donor-funded turf field to be installed at the high school. Freda has lobbied for the turf field, as he has said the conditions of some fields in the borough are poor and there is not enough field space to accomodate the recreation programs in the borough for extended use as a turf field would allow. This will be the first artificial turf field in Kinnelon if constructed, although the Kinnelon Board of Education had …
Sunday, January 29, 2012
High school athletic director said turf field will benefit athletic program.
Kinnelon High School Athletic Director Scott Rosenberg said the prospect of the installation of a turf field at the high school will help even the playing field with athletic opponents. "I think turf would be fantastic, certainly in a land-locked kind of town like Kinnelon," he said. Rosenberg said the high school athletic teams have been at a disadvantage for several years by not already having a turf field to practice on in the borough. Currently, teams have to practice indoors or in parking lots when weather conditions prevent use of the traditional fields. Because turf is able to be plowed, Rosenberg said the school district would be able to get more use out of the field earlier in the spring. "We are either renting turf from places or…
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Community park in consideration with possible acquisition of land.
Council President Dan O'Dougherty reported to the Kinnelon Recreation Commission Wednesday that things are moving along with the exploration of a project to install an artificial turf field at Kinnelon High School. O'Dougherty said the council's coordinating committee, which consists of him and Councilmen Jim Freda and Gary Moleta, met with Kinnelon Public Schools Superintendent Jim Opiekun, Kinnelon Board of Education President Margaret Zybrick and Vice President Keith Dama on Tuesday and that the entities have discussed forming a group of 40 volunteers that would each be tasked with fundraising $10,000. O'Dougherty said a local builder has agreed to donate some money and completely install a turf field for $400,000, which would be …
Rose
5:17 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
I'm not sure Mr. SanFilipo is right for the job either-he is so connected with the rec dept which is pushing for the turf. I know he grew up here and is a very nice man, but I don't think being a councilman should hinge just on those qualifications. What Kinnelon needs is some new blood in the council. These guys have been in"office" so long, that as Ms Gilhooly mentioned at the meeting, they … more ›