Officials Break Ground At Polo Grounds Turf Field In Bernardsville

BERNARDSVILLE, NJ — Officials broke ground on Wednesday on the new synthetic turf field at the Polo Grounds on Chestnut Avenue in Bernardsville.

Somerset County Freeholder Director Peter S. Palmer, Freeholder Patricia Walsh and Freeholder Mark Caliguire joined Mayor Kevin Sooy and other borough officials in launching the project.

“As a former mayor of Bernardsville, I’m glad the county has been able to do this,” Freeholder Palmer said. “We’ve done a lot of turf fields in various municipalities in the county and I’m sure this is not the last one. It’s a good use of our county open space dollars.”

The county and municipality are dividing the $1,055,039 cost of the project — with the county covering 70-percent of the share from its dedicated open space fund and the borough paying the remaining 30 percent or $355,039. Rochelle Contracting Co. of Landing has been hired for the job.

The project, which will be completed by this fall, includes a synthetic turf field on the upper polo field, which will allow for football, softball, soccer and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse. Also included are fencing, paths from the parking area, a new 100-seat bleacher, new football goal posts, a new softball backstop, an underground storm water management system to provide runoff detention for the turf field and the relocation of the stone driveway dividing the existing fields.

This is the sixth synthetic turf field that the county has designed and helped fund. Previous fields were installed at Bound Brook High School, Green Brook Middle School, Manville High School, North Plainfield High School and Somerville High School.

(Image provided: Wielding ceremonial shovels at a June 28 groundbreaking ceremony for a new synthetic turf field at the Polo Grounds in Bernardsville are, from left, Councilman Michael dePoortere, Councilman Michael Sullivan, Councilman Jeff DeLeo, Somerset County Freeholder Patricia Walsh, Freeholder Mark Caliguire, Freeholder Director Peter S. Palmer, Mayor Kevin Sooy, Councilman Peter Birnbaum, Borough Clerk Sandra Jones and Borough Administrator Ralph Maresca.)

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