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Improvements at Hillman Park near completion
(by Kimberly Redmond - September 23, 2008)
Some borough residents came forward at the Sept. 16 Emerson Mayor and Council meeting with concerns regarding drainage issues at the nearly completed Hillman Park, which is undergoing reconstruction.
The improvement project, partially funded by a $73,000 grant from Bergen County Open Space and matched by the borough of Emerson, had several objectives. The first was to create a regulation-sized soccer field. The second was to eliminate the hazardous conditions, particularly the drainage grates located in the middle of the field. The last objective was to improve overall drainage at Hillman Field.
Paul Niehoff, the engineering consultant retained by the borough, designed a few different plans for the project based upon the bids offered by contractors. Prior to the bid being awarded, a committee composed of several recreation department members, as well as members from the department of public works and organizations such as the Emerson Junior Baseball league met three times to discuss their visions of the project.
J.C. Landscape Construction and Management Co. Inc. was selected to carry out the improvements at Hillman field. The project, thus far, has included the re-grading of the field, as well as the addition of a slope adjacent to the field’s retaining wall. Additionally, pre-existing underground drains have been capped and a new drain inlet has been constructed. Borough officials expect the last leg of the project, the laying of sod, to occur sometime during the last week of Sept. According to Niehoff, if seed were planted, it would take months for the field to be ready for recreation. Niehoff recommended that a re-design of the underground drainage system not be included in the improvement project, in order to budget money for the sod.
Tom Callagee, fields vice president of the Emerson Junior Baseball League, stated the project should have focused on improving the existing underground drainage system. “The big issue,” said Callagee, “is not the surface water. It’s the ground water.”
Callagee said the water table levels in the Oradell Reservoir directly correspond with the groundwater levels beneath Hillman Field. “If the water in the reservoir is low, there are no problems. But, if it’s high due to a rainy season, we have a soggy, damp field to play on,” Callagee said.
Joseph Solimando, superintendent of the Emerson Department of Public Works, concurred, stating when heavy rainfall soaks the field, it can take up to four days for the field to dry out. “Brace yourself for headaches and problems, because I can foresee them coming,” Solimando cautioned.
Mayor Louis Lamatina said “the project will go forward because it’s already seventh-eighths done.” However, borough officials will continue to monitor the Hillman Field situation. “If issues arise with the field,” said Lamatina, “we’ll have to deal with them.”
Kimberly Redmond's e-mail address is redmondk@northjersey.com.
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