Battle Over Holmdel Soccer Turf Fields

Holmdel, NJ - On Sept. 6, the Holmdel Township Council unanimously approved the installation of two new soccer turf fields at Cross Farm Park. The fields will be paid for by a $3.3 million bond and the fields were requested by Holmdel's rec sports teams, reports the Asbury Park Press.

The parking lot at the park will also be resurfaced and more lighting will be added as part of the plan. The funding for the $3.3 million bond will be paid for out of the Open Space Fund and Holmdel residents will see no increase in their taxes due to the fields.

However, not everyone in Holmdel supports the fields. More than 700 Holmdel residents signed a petition forcing the Township Council to hold a referendum on the bond ordinance. Holmdel Township Clerk Maureen Doloughty said she is verifying the signatures; Holmdel will likely have to hold a special election on the matter.

Those opposed say the park is fine the way it is.

"There’s nothing broken about the soccer program — it's obviously working as it is. The issue is there are other things in town that need attention," Holmdel resident Lea Shave told the APP.

"We don’t need to accommodate (the athletic) clubs, we can do that in the high school, grade school properties," said resident Larry Smith. "We don’t need any of this, we don’t need to spend this additional money."

Holmdel Mayor Eric Hinds is a volunteer soccer coach for one of the soccer clubs. But he said he consulted with the township's lawyers and they said he did not have to recuse himself from voting on the fields, because he is simply a volunteer.

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