Need for more athletic fields being discussed
Talks are only in the
preliminary stages
By darlene diebold
Staff Writer

HOLMDEL — Changes may be coming to Cross Farm Park, especially in light of the Board of Education’s plans to eliminate some ballfields at Holmdel Village School if a planned school construction referendum passes.

A major expansion of the school, located on McCampbells Road, will result in the loss of three fields. Cross Farm is just south of the school on Route 520 and Longbridge Road.

Township Committeeman Larry Fink, the Recreation Commission, has been holding "recreation summit meetings" to gain community input.

"We have been meeting over the course of the year with different members of the sports leagues to identify the short-term and long-term recreation needs of the community," explained Fink.

Representatives were from the Holmdel Stallions soccer league, Pop Warner football league and Holmdel Youth Activities Association, as well as the Recreation Commission.

Fink said that some of the long- and short-term needs that were identified include snack stands, additional lighting, rest-room facilities, expanded parking, playground equipment and additional fields for sports. The township acquired the Cross Farm property in 1979 and built six athletic fields there in 1999.

The additional fields may become a real issue if the referendum to expand Village School is passed because the three athletic fields that would be lost are used by different organizations, as well as members of the community.

"In any event, the township would have to figure out a way to replace those lost fields," Fink said. "It has always been a tradition to use the school ballfields for the athletic leagues. The township has always sought cooperation from the Board of Education, and they have always been cooperative. But if they will be building on the fields, we really have to do something."

The question now is whether to expand the fields at Cross Farm Park. Fink said that option is on the table, as well as the possible expansion of other township parks, or purchasing underdeveloped lands throughout the township for park use.

"We haven’t gotten to the stage of what fields to possibly expand or even where yet," he said.

The Planning Board is currently rewriting the township’s master plan, and Fink said that the recreation element would provide a snapshot of the current facilities, identify specific needs regarding additional recreational facilities as the township continues to grow, and include a plan for the different steps that the township might want to take to meet those needs.

"We want to ensure that as Cross Farm Park grows in the future, that it is sensitive to the rural agricultural nature of the area," he said. Part of the approximately 225-acre park is leased for farming. The property, which runs south along Longbridge Road, includes historic structures.

Fink said that in the early 1990s there was some concern from nearby residents about the way the area would look. As a result of that concern, lights were not put up at the facility, and the fields were built away from Route 520.

"We want to keep the residents’ concerns from the past in mind and heed them in the future," he said.

Fink said that the township would like to reach out further to the general public to identify any additional needs for the whole community. Fink may be reached by e-mail at MailLarryF@att.net, at home at (732) 946-3656, or by mailing a letter to town hall.