Sports Complexes Need Renovation, School Officials Say

Renovations for the high school athletic complexes are needed, school officials say, as the number of students keep increasing and the facilities are wearing out.

The planning for these renovations are in their beginning stages and no definite plans are made yet, but at Thursday's Hanover Park Regional High School District Board of Education meeting, an architect laid out the scope and costs of the potential renovations.

Mike Bieri from Feitlowitz & Kosten Architects, who also attended last month's board of education meeting, split up several renovation plans that could be done at both schools.

The most costly and major addition would be adding in a multi-sport stadium, which includes replacing the grass to artificial turf, resurfacing the track and adding in two more lanes, and replacing the home and visitor bleachers. These plans pertain to both Hanover Park and Whippany Park.

The multi-purpose field, which would cost about $4.5 million at Hanover Park and $4.7 million at Whippany, would allow students to play several sports including football, lacrosse, field hockey and soccer. The fields would also let the students play night games because lighting would be added.

Other plans presented by Bieri were renovations to the field houses, practice fields, softball fields, baseball fields, and tennis courts.

At Hanover Park, fixing the tennis courts would cost a little over $800,000 because the school would have to add in a fifth court and remove pavement from the other courts and completely rebuild them.

At Whippany Park, the courts are in better condition, Bieri said, and the project would only include milling and resurfacing. The project would cost $277,000.

The board is not going to add in all of the renovations, but they will make a decision for which ones they want to choose from after more discussion and public input.

Several residents who live across the street from Whippany Park's field raised concerns on Thursday night about adding in lighting to the new turf field.

They said because the lights would allow night games, they are afraid about an increase of noise and traffic in the area.

Board members said the turf fields and lights are needed. They said the grass fields are being used constantly, and it can't sustain all of the sports. The sports progam is growing, and there aren't enough fields to house all of the sports.

Adding in a turf field would not just let multiple sports use it, but it wouldn't get worn down like the grass fields.

While nothing was decided on at Thursday's meeting, the next board of education meeting will be on Oct. 10, where the public can continue to provide input.

Superintendent Carol Grossi said no decisions will be made at the next meeting either, as the board will have more discussion and wait to hear more from the public. It is possible the renovations could be decided on at the meeting after that.

Once a decision is made, there will be a follow-up referendum in March or April where the public will be able to vote.

The meeting on Oct. 10 will be at 7:30 p.m. at Hanover Park High School.