Fields of Dreams Debate Expected to Continue at Thursday Meetings

The is expected to be the focus of discussion Thursday at meetings for both the township's Open Space Committee and the .

Under the proposal, the township would gain 51 percent control over the football fields at Parsippany’s two high schools so that Open Space Trust Fund monies could be used to pay for improvements. The improvements would include the installation of new artificial turf fields, track ovals, fencing and modernized lighting.

The Open Space Committee meets Thursday at 5 p.m. at he Board of Education is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. at Parsippany Hills High School. Both meetings are open to the public.

The Fields of Dreams concept has been under discussion for almost a year, according to Mayor James Barberio. The Recreation Advisory Committee, which includes the mayor, the township attorney and youth sports leaders, met to find a way to overhaul the aging Board of Education-owned fields at and schools.

The plan as envisioned now is that improvements would be completed through the creation of a partnership between the township and the Board of Education. Under law, the currently owned by the school board, according to Township Attorney John Inglesino. He said this is the reason behind the township seeking controlling interest in the project.

The committee proposes that funding come from Open Space Trust Fund monies. The law allows open space funds to be used for the town’s acquisition of open space lands, for historic preservation and for recreation.

Estimated cost of the project is $4.5 million, a figure Inglesino called a “conservative estimate on the high side.”

The lawyer said he anticipates that the trust fund will not be drained. As he explained, assuming a 15-year amortization and annual bond repayments of $350,000-$400,000, more than $200,000 should remain in the fund for other capital improvements. He also expected that the switch to turf fields would save the township about $70,000 annually in field maintenance costs.

With the township having controlling interest in the project, the schools would lose exclusive use of the fields. Although the specifics of regulating field use have not been worked out, Mayor Barberio said he anticipated that the schools would get priority.

During the Dec. 15 Board of Education meeting, the . Questions were raised regarding the appropriateness of spending trust fund money on recreation in light of the impact of Hurricane Irene, safety issues in the neighborhood , environmental concerns and the true intent of the open space ordinance.