Field of Dreams Debate Rages in Gloucester Township

Gloucester Township, NJ -- The debate over the Field of Dreams continued in Gloucester Township last week, with Gloucester Township Republican Municipal Committee Chairman Ray Polidoro accusing the council and the administration for putting off any work on the project until next year to benefit the mayor’s re-election campaign.

The Field of Dreams is a proposed handicapped-accessible baseball field at Community Park on Hickstown Road in the township’s Erial section.

It is designed to accommodate baseball and softball players with physical and mental disabilities.

In addition to other upgrades from the typical ball field, theField of Dreams includes an artificial-surface infield to make it easier for those in wheelchairs and walkers to play the game.

At council’s March 28 meeting, Polidoro asked council why the project wasn’t included as part of the $2.9 million borrowed for this year's artificial turf project at Community Park.

At the time, Gloucester Township Council President Orlando Mercado said Polidoro raised some good points and that he would confer with Mayor David Mayer on the situation.

“I had a discussion with our mayor, and we are looking at different options to restart the project,” Mercado said at the April 11 meeting, adding that the township wasn’t sure of a specific dollar amount that would be needed to finish the project. “Last week, I attended a Rotary Club meeting, and they said they had raised $137,000, and that they were moving forward.”

He said the project to install artificial turf would move forward without the Field of Dreams.

“I asked you about this at the last meeting, and instead of being governmental, you deferred to the mayor as if the mayor had the decision making process to do your job,” Polidoro said. “You could have had a discussion on it then, but you chose not to.”

Mercado previously said council would work with the administration on the issue.

Polidoro went on to say the opening of the Field of Dreams, a project whose groundbreaking took place in 2013, would make for “great pomp and circumstance for the mayor during an election year.” Mayer is up for re-election in 2017.

Polidoro suggested the project could be completed with a combination of public and private funding this year.

“If that project goes on the list and gets done in an election year, I’ll call you out for the shameful act you’ve done,” Polidoro said. “You could’ve put that field on this year for those children. … You should be ashamed of yourselves. You have a company coming in here that’s going to make a mountain of money for their services, and we won’t have a Field of Dreams this year.

“These children will see fields with astroturf in the same park in which their field has been sitting with absolutely nothing done for three years.”

Polidoro reiterated his concern that there are children with disabilities so severe that they will be unable to make use of the field next year.

At the meeting, Mercado responded by accusing Polidoro of not contributing any money to the effort over the past three years.

“I have never seen you at one of these activities,” Mercado said. “You tell us you’re ashamed of us; well I’m going to ask you to help us jumpstart this effort.”

“You do what you can to get it done this year, and you’ll have my time, my money and my effort,” Polidoro said.

Mayer, who doesn’t attend council work sessions, has not responded to messages from Patch on this issue. Patch has attempted to contact him for this story and a story on the same subject that was published on April 7, both at his office and on his personal cell phone.

Rotary Club Treasurer Joe Castor returned a call from Patch, but had no comment on the Rotary Club’s efforts.