School Fields Need Help, Advocate Insists

Michael Pietrowicz of Little Vikings Football, who chaired the mayor's Fields of Dreams committee, sent an open letter addressed to school district leadership to Patch for publication.

Dear Board of Education President Susy Golderer, board members and Dr. LeRoy Seitz, superintendent of schools:

Thank you for conducting a special BOE meeting on Feb. 21 for the public to fully examine the current conditions at the two high schools' athletic complexes and to offer input as the board explores financing options and other potential opportunities to address the hazardous and unsafe conditions.

The unacceptable and dangerous conditions have existed for many years and as time passes these issues will only further exacerbate. Over the past two years, the public has become more acutely aware of the situation. The challenge for the BOE is to find ways to rectify the problems in a fiscally challenging time. Involving all parties in the dialog—including the public, the school board, town officials, responsible agencies and potential corporate partners—will hopefully bring about the necessary talent and resources to secure a permanent and necessary solution.

I unfortunately have some work conflicts and may not be able to attend the special session. I am submitting this letter [and the attached media] to assist the BOE and the public in this endeavor. There have been extensive discussions, articles, Web posts, etc., over the past two years. There are some new people on the school board and the Town Council.

To best begin this process, I think it is important to document the current state of affairs, the efforts attempted to date and then suggestions on how to best address the deficiencies, code violations and safety hazards.

Again, thank you for your efforts to find ways to move forward with this important project.

Michael Pietrowicz
Parsippany