Falsehoods circulating about football field

The recent buzz among Lincroft residents regarding a proposed football field on an undeveloped tract across from Molzon's nursery has reached a fever pitch as of late. As in the children's game "Telephone," the rumor-driven hype surrounding the project has caused it to morph into something unrecognizable from its preliminary origins.

Sadly, this is causing unnecessary and unwarranted grief among some residents. Lawn signs have appeared and local citizen's organizations have begun writing letters, many based on erroneous information. This is particularly unfortunate, since an examination of the project as it stands now would show the futility in the needless anxiety felt by many Lincroft residents. Here are the facts.

Middletown Township has a number of properties that were purchased under the open space program. As with all open space purchases, these properties are routinely reviewed and evaluated as to their possible uses and the environmental constraints - namely wetlands - which may exist. Many people associated with the township's little leagues have complained in the past of the need for additional fields, which leads the township to consider that as a possible use for any open space tract that comes onto the market or is currently a part of the township property inventory. That is the stage where the project stood a year ago and that is where it is today. Nothing beyond a feasibility study has been done, which is the normal course taken for all open space tracts. And therein lies the problem.

Currently, the River Plaza Pop Warner League shares a field with the River Plaza Baseball Little League. The continuous and sometimes overlapping use by both leagues makes it difficult to maintain the field in a safe condition for the players, cheerleaders and spectators. The township is exploring all options to find a solution that is suitable for all parties concerned. Many of the children involved with the River Plaza leagues live in or near Lincroft, which would dictate that a location in a reasonable proximity to Lincroft be considered for their field.

The hysteria that has grown around the question of whether or not a tract could physically and environmentally accommodate a football field has blown the project into a sports "stadium" and sports "complex." A recent mailing from a group called Stop the Sports Complex was laden with just the sort of misinformation and outright falsehoods that have contributed to the furor. To make matters worse, the letter solicited funds to pay for an attorney - a tragic misstep and waste of the residents' hard-earned money when one considers there is no plan in place and the evaluation of properties in the township is only a question of feasibility, not a blueprint.

With such conditions, it is inevitable politics would rear its ugly head and add more fuel to the fire. Local Democrat candidates with no ideas of their own - desperate to find an issue to latch onto - have opportunistically chosen to feed the frenzy at the expense of the residents of Lincroft, who must now wade through the rhetoric to separate fact from fiction. Labeling an athletic field a "stadium" or "complex" is intellectually dishonest, and designed to inflate the perceived threat - all to the detriment of the residents of Lincroft.

The truth is, the Township Committee puts the feelings of the residents above all else in matters as sensitive as this. Input from the community is key in the decision-making process, and will ultimately guide the decision for the eventual use, if any of a particular tract of land. The neighborhood meeting in Lincroft where the issue was first raised publicly is an example of the committee's desire to communicate with the residents on any topic that is of concern. Once the wetlands study is done and all have some idea of what portion, if any, of the property is usable and for what is the time to consider concept plans. Additional hearings would be a certainty before any plans were finalized and we will work tirelessly to ensure that every voice is heard.

One thing is assured for now, playing politics with the emotions of a community is reprehensible and should be strongly discouraged by all parties involved. A person's home and neighborhood should not become convenient pawns to attract attention to a political campaign struggling to gain traction with the voters.

Gerry Scharfenberger

deputy mayor

Middletown