By John Burton
FAIR HAVEN – The public tennis courts at Fair Haven Fields on Ridge Road will get a sorely needed facelift, under a plan proposed at the Borough Council.
The governing body is looking to resurface the four courts, as well as add a fifth one so that the high school can host competitive tournaments.
“We see this as a win-win for everybody,” said Mayor Benjamin Lucarelli.
The Borough Council will be looking next month to authorize a series of capital improvement projects, with the local high school providing some financial support, for the total costing about $1.14 million.
The council will be holding its public hearing and likely final passage vote for the bond ordinance at the Sept. 12 meeting for a number of projects, with Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School making a $170,000 contribution intended for part of the project for borough, school and public recreational and sport team needs.
As it currently stands, two of the four courts “are unusable,” given the condition, according to Lucarelli. “We actually had to take the nets down,” he said. A sign posted on the courts cautions players there may be cracks in the court and to play at their own risk.
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School has three courts on its grounds. In order to properly conduct competitive tennis tournaments with other schools, five courts are required. Otherwise the tournaments take much longer for the teams to complete.
The school courts would have to be redone in the next couple of years and this seemed a better remedy all around, said Frank Gripp, the high school business administrator.
The district Board of Education is providing the $170,000, which will cover half the cost of work for the courts and the school will be responsible for the courts’ maintenance, according to Lucarelli. The borough’s Knollwood Middle School tennis team will also be able to use the courts.
For the high school this will free up the area currently used for its courts and “accommodate other athletic endeavors,” Lucarelli said.
Other projects the bond ordinance is expected to cover include the purchase of a Public Works loader, costing approximately $125,000. There are also plans on the drawing board for building and grounds improvements, such as improvements to a boat ramp and bulkhead for riverfront areas; work on two pocket parks, at the end of Hance Road and Grange Avenue; and sidewalk and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements for a walkway connecting Knollwood School, Hance Road, with the Viola L. Sickles School, the primary school on Willow Street.
With the exception of the recent purchase of a new fire truck, the borough “was on track to be debt-free by 2019,” Lucarelli noted. However, “there are numerous projects we’re looking at,” at this point – though it’s too premature to discuss them – for which the borough council would have to authorize the cost.
One such project, Lucarelli said, is work on the borough-owned McCarter Pond, Fair Haven Road, a manmade pond that has become overgrown with vegetation. The council is expected to issue a request for proposals for the engineering study for any future work to the pond.
FAIR HAVEN – The public tennis courts at Fair Haven Fields on Ridge Road will get a sorely needed facelift, under a plan proposed at the Borough Council.
The governing body is looking to resurface the four courts, as well as add a fifth one so that the high school can host competitive tournaments.
“We see this as a win-win for everybody,” said Mayor Benjamin Lucarelli.
The Borough Council will be looking next month to authorize a series of capital improvement projects, with the local high school providing some financial support, for the total costing about $1.14 million.
The council will be holding its public hearing and likely final passage vote for the bond ordinance at the Sept. 12 meeting for a number of projects, with Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School making a $170,000 contribution intended for part of the project for borough, school and public recreational and sport team needs.
As it currently stands, two of the four courts “are unusable,” given the condition, according to Lucarelli. “We actually had to take the nets down,” he said. A sign posted on the courts cautions players there may be cracks in the court and to play at their own risk.
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School has three courts on its grounds. In order to properly conduct competitive tennis tournaments with other schools, five courts are required. Otherwise the tournaments take much longer for the teams to complete.The school courts would have to be redone in the next couple of years and this seemed a better remedy all around, said Frank Gripp, the high school business administrator.
The district Board of Education is providing the $170,000, which will cover half the cost of work for the courts and the school will be responsible for the courts’ maintenance, according to Lucarelli. The borough’s Knollwood Middle School tennis team will also be able to use the courts.
For the high school this will free up the area currently used for its courts and “accommodate other athletic endeavors,” Lucarelli said.
Other projects the bond ordinance is expected to cover include the purchase of a Public Works loader, costing approximately $125,000. There are also plans on the drawing board for building and grounds improvements, such as improvements to a boat ramp and bulkhead for riverfront areas; work on two pocket parks, at the end of Hance Road and Grange Avenue; and sidewalk and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements for a walkway connecting Knollwood School, Hance Road, with the Viola L. Sickles School, the primary school on Willow Street.
With the exception of the recent purchase of a new fire truck, the borough “was on track to be debt-free by 2019,” Lucarelli noted. However, “there are numerous projects we’re looking at,” at this point – though it’s too premature to discuss them – for which the borough council would have to authorize the cost.
One such project, Lucarelli said, is work on the borough-owned McCarter Pond, Fair Haven Road, a manmade pond that has become overgrown with vegetation. The council is expected to issue a request for proposals for the engineering study for any future work to the pond.
