Bernardsville Officials Offer No Comment on Citizens Group's Lawsuit

 Bernardsville and Somerset Hills School District officials have yet to see a lawsuit filed by a citizens group challenging the school board’s plans plans to build a new grass field by existing baseball and softball fields on the "lower field" at  Mayor Lee Honecker said at Monday’s Borough Council meeting.

The mayor said he could not comment on the lawsuit because, “We haven’t gotten a copy.”

“The newspapers got a copy so you can see where this is going,” Honecker said. “You get an idea of their tactics.”

The lawsuit, naming both the school board and borough as defendants, was filed on April 1 by Active Citizens for Responsible Sustainability. Under New Jersey court rules, the group must within 15 days issue a summons notifying the defendants of the lawsuit.

Daniel Somers, the group’s attorney, previously said that the lawsuit challenges a waiver that the Bernardsville Borough Council granted to the Board of Education to cut down trees on the property — which the school board said last week said a count had put at just more than 240.

Somers said the group also is challenging the validity of an amendment to the borough's tree protection ordinance that would give the school district an exemption from seeking some of the required permissions.

The lawsuit also asks that the Board of Education be required to comply with all state and federal environmental regulations, Somers said.

That lawsuit is not the only controversy involving athletic fields on the Borough Council’s radar.

Two residents express concerns about proposed turf field behind middle school

At Monday’s meeting, two residents reiterated their opposition to install turf in the athletic field on borough-owned land behind the Bernardsville Middle School.

Chestnut Avenue resident Terry Byrne told the council that if artificial turf is installed “I can just envision bleachers, lights, parking lots and more clearing of a wooded lot.”

“Bernardsville has the opportunity to stay the way it is,” Byrne said, suggesting the issue be put to a public vote.

Byrne said he wanted to know if the borough and school district had reached a decision on the field’s future.

“Nothing has happened,” Honecker said.

Patrick Frame, another Chestnut Avenue resident, asked if a traffic study was going to be performed before a decision is made.

“You should consider the traffic and parking on Chestnut,” Frame said.

Borough Councilman Joseph Rossi said the school board is preparing a contract with an engineering firm to study the field.

“We’re waiting to see what the Board of Education is including in the contract,” Rossi said.

Following the public meeting, the mayor and borough council went into a closed session to discuss possible police promotions. Officials said no public action would be taken afterward.