Turf Talk: Setting the Record Straight
The Mayor is sending emails to residents defending the Stonetown Field bond ordinance and claiming that the DEP has issued an approval for the site. We need to correct the record.
The letter of interpretation from the DEP is not an approval (see letter below). It is a boundary determination. The DEP's own letter states clearly that any regulated activity within a wetland, transition area or state open water requires a separate permit. The letter confirms that every freshwater wetland on this site carries the exceptional resource value classification, the highest environmental designation in New Jersey, with a mandatory 150 foot buffer.
Getting the permits needed to build on this site could be a long and difficult path with no guaranteed outcome. The borough has a pattern of pursuing unrealistic plans, from turf at Hewitt Field to mixed use development at Fieldstone, and failing to deliver. Stonetown looks like more of the same. Even in 2018, an article described "the borough's meandering path toward the creation of an artificial turf field." Eight years later they have not made any progress. The permits still have not been secured and the cost keeps climbing. From Fieldstone to our Rec Department, this council cannot seem to finish what it starts.
The Mayor's email tells residents to look past social media speculation and stop spreading unverified hearsay. We find that deeply condescending. Residents are not spreading misinformation. They are asking questions about a $5 million bond ordinance.
The Mayor is missing the point entirely. Residents are not speculating. Taxes go up every year and there is nothing to show for it. The same night this bond ordinance was moving forward, the council voted 6 to 0 to create lifetime health benefits for its highest paid employees despite massive bipartisan public outcry. Taxpayer are fed up.
And the Mayor's own letter contains a significant factual error by characterizing the letter of interpretation as an approval when it is not. If anyone has been spreading misinformation about this project, residents deserve to know who that is.
We are glad a community survey is moving forward. But here is what we keep coming back to. We already have nearly $1 million in grants in hand. Let's use that money for improvements we know we can actually deliver. Pursing $5 million for a project that may face serious permitting obstacles is not fiscal responsibility. It is a gamble with taxpayer money.
If we want inspiration for what Stonetown could become, we do not have to look far. Back Beach in Wanaque and the Oakland recreation complex are both beautiful examples of natural recreation complexes right in our backyard that families love and communities are proud of. We do not need synthetic turf to build something great.
At the special meeting on September 29 the council should vote no. The Mayor's last minute modification adding "or natural grass" to the ordinance makes no sense. The field already has natural grass. Why would Ringwood authorize $5 million in new debt to replace grass with grass? Vote no. Start over with a real plan and stop wasting our money.
Ringwood Democratic Organization
