Lights At Lion Gate: Debate Over Athletic Field Lighting In Bloomfield

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Lion Gate Park in Bloomfield has been seeing praise from local officials and environmentalists since its transformation from a contaminated manufacturing site into “urban wetlands” and park space. But lately, the town’s new open space is also becoming a source of irritation for some residents, who are complaining about a proposal to install field lighting at the property.

Bloomfield town officials will hold a virtual meeting to discuss lighting design at the Lion Gate Park at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8. It will be open to the public. People will get a chance to share their feedback and address any concerns, according to a statement from the township.

The meeting can be accessed online via Zoom here. For more information, contact the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs Department at (973) 743-9074 or visit the Bloomfield Township website.

“As we move closer to the completion of Lion Gate Park, it is crucial we involve our community members in the decision-making processes,” Mayor Michael Venezia said.

“This virtual discussion [will provide] our residents with the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns, and ensure the park reflects the needs of our community,” Venezia said.

Need to get caught up to speed on the debate? Bloomfield officials offered some background about the origin of the project:

“The Bloomfield Lion’s Gate Park was formerly the location of a dye factory and thermometer manufacturer, and the ground was contaminated with dangerous chemicals left behind by its former tenants. The site lay dormant and was an eyesore for several decades, until a team of environmental advocates, local leaders and architects worked to implement the Lion Gate Park and Urban Wetland Floodplain Creation project.”

According to municipal officials, the 18.4-acre property was a “flood-prone, former industrial site” in which developers had attempted to build 148 town houses and 298 parking spaces. However, following years of advocacy from local residents – and ensuing litigation – the township secured the property with the aid of a range of grants from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Things have changed – big time, Bloomfield officials said:

“The new 18-acre park includes recreational facilities, a freshwater wetlands complex, and a fieldhouse, and serves as a safe space for recreation, in which a turf soccer field has become a destination for Bloomfield’s booming soccer program and residents alike. Lion Gate Park is located on the Third River (an urban flood prone tributary to the Passaic River) and incorporates over four acres of freshwater wetland to reestablish the original floodplain and hold up to 10 million gallons of flood surge during storms. The land’s capacity for absorption helps to prevent some of the flooding which often takes place as the result of storms, and cleanup of the area has contributed to cleaner water entering the adjacent Passaic River.”

Additionally, because the Passaic River is a Superfund-designated waterway, the interventions made at Lion Gate Park have helped to reduce the toxicity of the river and “serving as a model for other New Jersey townships,” Bloomfield officials said.

Lion Gate Park, which has been described as one of the largest infrastructure projects in the town’s recent history, saw some delays enroute to its construction, allegedly due to “missed deadlines” and “repeated lateness and inaction.” Those delays resulted in the township dumping its previous contractor – the lowest bidder on the project.

• See Related: Bloomfield Dumps Contractor After Serious Delays At Lion Gate

Lion Gate finally reached the finish line in June 2021, a milestone that Bloomfield officials marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Read More: Lion Gate Park Is Roaring Good Addition To Bloomfield

LIGHTING AT LION GATE

Lion Gate Park has seen praise from groups like the nonprofit environmental organization New Jersey Future, which gave it a “Smart Growth” award in 2022. Watch a video about the award presentation here.

“The dual roles of Lion Gate Park as both a source of resilience and recreation demonstrate a model of land use and planning that values the accessibility of public spaces while acknowledging and addressing the urgent need to adapt to the growing impacts of climate change in New Jersey,” the nonprofit said.

• See Related: Urban Wetland, Park In Bloomfield Earns 'Smart Growth' Award

But some Bloomfield residents say the transformation may now come with a price tag for those who live nearby: light pollution.

During the July 17 town council meeting, several officials and residents spoke about a proposal to install lights at the park’s athletic field, which is being used for soccer games. Watch the full video online here, or watch an excerpt below (video is cued to the discussion).

Councilman Nicholas Joanow noted that there are homes within 200 feet of the park, which could be a possible quality of life issue.

“Bottom line as a homeowner, I'm entitled by law for peace, tranquility and peace of mind on my property,” Joanow said. “The extension of hours on this site interferes with that quality of life of me, others or taxpayers and homeowners on this particular site.”

It’s a “potential legal issue,” he added, asking for further environmental review of the proposal.

“Now – I signed up for having that soccer field,” Joanow said. “I and many, many others from the Bloomfield Third River Bank. We are not alone. And we wanted to promote increased recreational activity along with creating the wetland and we got it. I'm fine nine to five – I am fine. But towards the evening hours I'm not, and residents on my block whose property values are compromised, whose quality of life is compromised … it’s a no-no.”

Citing previous emails and statements made during community meetings, planning board member Gregory Babula claimed that multiple township officials have said the athletic field at the park will operate from dawn to dusk – and would not include field lighting. The current lighting proposal seems to contradict those statements, he said.

“I understand the desire to increase playing field capacity … a town as densely populated as Bloomfield can always use more open space,” said Babula, who was speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting.

However, the council should ask if this need can be met by maximizing or expanding the use of other fields across the township, including those at Bloomfield schools, he added.

“Virtually every square inch of Bloomfield has been developed in one way or another,” Babula said. “Although we do have open spaces, they have been largely modified to satisfy human priorities, not to support the natural environment.”

“The Lion Gate urban wetland restoration project is a unique effort at mitigating the impact of human environmental alteration, and I think we should be very careful and thoughtful about introducing artificial factors such as additional lighting that have the potential to degrade its ability to function as habitat restoration,” Babula added.

Bloomfield town officials have noted at previous meetings that they have received emails in support of the lighting proposal, as well. Watch the discussion from July 17 below.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Bloomfield Facebook page.