Verona Residents Heartily Approve Hilltop Park Project

Dozens of residents crammed into the municipal chambers at Verona's Civic Center Monday to show support for an ordinance to appropriate $5 million towards the redevelopment of Hilltop Park.

It was standing room only, with residents leaning against the walls of the chamber for nearly three hours as the discussion and drama between council members unfolded before them.

It was unclear throughout the duration of the meeting whether the council would get the four votes needed to approve the measure, but ultimately the council voted 4-1 to approve the $5.125 million bond to thunderous applause from residents.

Gail Shepard was the first to approach the council during the public portion of the meeting, prior to the vote. She demanded to know how much it would cost on the tax bill saying she probably had one of the highest tax bills in town.

Shepard was vociferous in her appeal to the council, wanting to know why they are going ahead with new fields while current school fields are in disrepair. The money could be used to fix those fields, she said.

The fields Shepard mentioned are under the jurisdiction of the board of education, which Mayor Frank Sapienza explained was a different entity, and not something the council has control over.

Other residents, like Jessica Pearson, supported the fields, but questioned the numbers.

“I love the idea of the fields,” said Pearson. “The only problem is that there are numbers that have been left out.”

Pearson said the replacement of the turf and maintenance costs were not included, but Township Manager Joseph Martin disagreed, saying the operating costs are in the Recreation Department budget.

Martin assured her field maintenance was something well thought through.

“Our turf lasts longer than in other municipalities because we don't let a group on unless there is a supervisor,” said Martin. “Turf wears out but we envision that we will not have to replace that carpet until 2017.”

Members of sports leagues, like Andy Yates from the baseball and softball league, as well as Douglas Smith from Verona Lacrosse urged the council to approve the bond ordinance for the children.

The town desperately needs more fields, they said, adding the current leagues often fight over space and kids are often out onto the fields late at night on school nights because there is no alternative.

“There are 340 or 350 kids in Verona lacrosse,” said Smith. “We sometimes have between 35 and 70 kids on the field at the same time. With that number of kids out there, its becoming more and more of a risk as we squeeze more kids onto the field.”

Sapienza, Deputy Mayor Bob Manley and Councilman Jay Sniatkowski all said they would vote in favor of the application. After councilman Kevin Ryan voted not to approve the bond, it came down to Councilman Michael Nochimson's vote.

“I want to remain fiscally responsible and not act recklessly,” said Nochimson. “I want to be prudent and have best fields for our community.” 

He said his affirmative vote would be contingent on certain conditions:

• The council and sports organizations must be involved in the specifications of the job.
• An oversight committee must be involved in the review and decision of the bid.
• Council and public must receive monthly updates on the status of the project.
• Bid must be below $4.5 million without compromising quality.

The meeting will be replayed on the Verona Television Network.