Schools
Fields Referendum Fails by Wide Margin
Residents vote against spending nearly $8 million for high school athletic improvements.
The fields of dreams will have to wait.
Parsippany voters came out in the biting cold Tuesday to have their say about the Board of Education's $7.7 million athletic fields referendum. And by a wide margin, they said they were not willing to support the proposal to bring artificial turf fields, lights, refurbished lights and more at Parsippany and Parsippany Hills high schools.
In the end, the referendum did not carry a single polling place, and the unofficial tally performed by Municipal Clerk Yancy Wazirmas showed that no votes outpaced yesses 2,373-1,745.
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Board of Education President Susy Golderer, who questioned the cost of the proposal during the referendum planning stages, said the result surprised her.
Still, she said, "The people have spoken. Now we must come together to find another way to give the children and the town fields to bring us pride."
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The unofficial breakdown is as follows:
POLLING PLACE YES NO Brooklawn Middle School 235 295 Central Middle School 119 218 Eastlake School 153 207 Intervale School 155 227 Littleton School 313 409 Powder Mill Firehouse 146 180 Rockaway Meadow School 385 578 Troy Hills School 235 250 ABSENTEE 4 9 TOTALS 1,745 2,373Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
