BOE nixes turf fields at Thompson, Thorne

The Middletown Board of Education blocked the township's proposal to install turf athletic fields at Thompson and Thorne middle schools at its workshop meeting Sept. 16.

Instead, the board voted 5-4 to propose installing a turf field at Nut Swamp Elementary School instead of the middle schools.

Members of the board met with Mayor Pamela Brightbill and other township officials Sept. 10 to discuss installing turf fields on school property. The township's goal is to use $2.5 million in leftover bond funds to convert existing fields at Croydon Hall and the middle schools into multisport facilities open to use by community groups.

The board had sent the township 11 specific questions on topics like liability, maintenance and lighting installation in a June 18 letter. The meeting, which was set up to answer some of those questions, didn't fill in all of the blanks, board members said.

"We would need more information that they really don't seem to have in order to continue," said board President Laura Agin.

"How do we entertain a project with literally no information?" asked board member Patricia Walsh.

Board members seemed most concerned that the township may not be able to immediately build a proposed football stadium at Thompson as well as the other projects with the funds available.

The township's plan is to first install turf fields at the three sites. Any remaining funds would be used to add lights, fences and bleachers, Brightbill said.

"Many of those would come in the future," she said in a Sept. 17 interview.

However, the board said the site would need lights right away for evening events because school teams would have first rights to it during the day.

At the end of their joint meeting, the township had asked the school district to grant permission for engineers to visit the sites so bids could be solicited. However, board members said they were uncomfortable in allowing the bidding process to move forward when they were not committed to the project.

Instead, the board has asked the township to reconsider Nut Swamp as a potential site.

Board members had suggested the school as an option at their meeting, but the township rejected it. A turf facility there would require the site to be flattened and excavated. It would displace some of the soccer fields on the site, Brightbill said.

As part of its Nut Swamp proposal, the board added the condition that township must reach out to residents in the immediate area for input. The condition would fulfill the board's Good Neighbor Policy, which requires the board to notify all residents within 200 feet of a significant change on school property.

Brightbill declined to comment on the board's proposal, saying she had not yet gone over it. She did say that she felt the Sept. 10 meeting had been productive.

"I felt it was a long time coming. My priority is to have a plan in place that will benefit the most residents in Middletown," she said.

The board nearly voted to walk away from the entire project during the workshop. Many members did not want to move forward after having so many legal questions unanswered after the meeting.

"I think it's time we say no thanks because we just can't get the information," said board member Kevin Ryan. The vote failed 4-5.

Other board members said they stuck with project because it would be a benefit to the community.

"If we can make this work, I'd like to see it happen," Agin said.