Borough strategizes to attract funds for field lighting

Borough strategizes to attract funds for field lighting
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

TINTON FALLS — Borough officials are back to the drawing board for a plan on how to get lighting for one of the town’s parks after an application for Monmouth County Open Space grant funds was rejected.

The Borough Council took up the topic at the May 18 workshop meeting where the possibility of adding lights to two football fields and the parking lot of 37- acre Liberty Park II located on West Park Avenue was discussed.

Councilman Gary Baldwin said he recently met with Pop Warner as well as borough officials in order to come up with a plan.

“Our objective was to sit down with the Pop Warner president and vice president and sort of game-plan where we need to go,” he said. “What we really came to a consensus on is that everyone should go back and gather information, and again we would meet on the subject and make a determination as to what we can and should do.”

Field lighting became a controversial issue in Tinton Falls in 2009 when Pop Warner parents and officials complained at a council meeting when the original grant proposal did not contain a plan for lighting.

The application was then revised to include the lighting, but was ultimately rejected by the county.

Tinton Falls Engineer David Marks, T&M Associates, said that different types of lighting for the field were considered.

“We looked at a couple of alternatives,” he said. “We evaluated the park, we evaluated our options available for lighting the field as well as the parking lot. We looked at a couple of alternatives for types of lighting.”

Marks said solar-powered lighting was considered, but it isn’t yet cost effective.

“We looked at solar powered light fixtures,” he said. “At this point in time, the technology isn’t there to make it a viable option.

“Maintenance costs are too high right now, batteries need to be replaced too often,” he added. “Right now the technology isn’t there; in a couple of years the discussion might be quite different.”

Marks went on to detail what he felt was the best option.

“Another alternative would be to install conventional parking lot lighting and potentially put in some sort of solar ray on the building,” he said. “I think at this point the best alternative for the parking lot would be to install an LED fixture similar to what we have at the Sycamore Avenue Soccer Complex.

“At this point in time, it is the most energy efficient and puts out the cleanest light.”

Marks said that the Pop Warner representatives came to the meeting prepared with estimates for how much the lighting would cost.

“We put together cost estimates, the total project costs, with some level of contingences, was about $370,000,” he said.

Baldwin explained that there is little hope for grant money.

“It would be quite likely that if we were to resubmit, I’m told it wouldn’t go anywhere but downhill,” he said. “For a one-sport function, it just doesn’t show enough use of the field to make the county go ‘Yeah, that’s a good project.’ ” We really are back to square one.”

Marks also explained some of the disadvantages of the application.

“The current project was a little top isolated,” he said. “If we only proposed the lighting, we really wouldn’t have an opportunity to be competitive in this program.

“I guess as economic times get worse, competition is going to get tougher. The grant sources are going to get tougher; I think [the county] funds are going to drop.

“When I met with the county, they said Liberty II is definitely a fundable park, but the particular project we put together didn’t strike with enough broad strokes to cover.”

Marks did say that if the council wanted to try for the grant, he would put together a proposal.

“The Monmouth County Open Space grant was a matching grant to a max of $250,000,” he said. “Those applications are due in September, so obviously if we wanted to put this project in that grant cycle, then this project won’t happen for quite a while.”

Marks said that to make the application more attractive, the borough must look toward other uses for the field.

“We have to talk about additional uses,” he said. “Whatever we do would have to be in a different season.”

Councilman Andy Mayer agreed.

“It would be helpful to show that we are going to get more bang for our buck,” he said.

Councilman Scott Larkin asked whether it would be possible to convert the field to turf.

“If we looked into a turf field where we could put multiple lines and play multiple sports, might that be more willing to work by the county?” he asked.

Marks agreed that it would be more attractive to the county, but it would probably be too expensive.

“I don’t see why that wouldn’t help our chances, but off the top of my head, a footballsized turf field is a million dollars,” he said. “Keep in mind that the most you’ll get out of the county is $250,000.

“You are starting to outpace what they can manage, but they would certainly support that use. ” Councilman Duane Morrill said that parking might be most important to the field.

“If anyone went down to the Pop Warner game on a Saturday or Sunday they’d know that there is not really much space to put any other kind of activity there,” he said. “Parking is a nightmare.”

Morrill and Baldwin both said that the picturewith the park should become clearer in the coming weeks.

“Open space is setting up a priority list, and they are trying to get that to us before our June 1 meeting,” Morrill said.

“There probably isn’t a whole lot of time left to do much for this playing year. We will try to accelerate it as best as we can for the sake of the children,” Baldwin said.