Public hearing opened on Open Space Grant to replace deteriorated bleachers at Franklin Field; no public comment

The Hawthorne Borough Council opened a public hearing on Feb. 5 on a 2025 Open Space Grant application to replace two deteriorated bleachers at the WAG 1 / Franklin Field ball field on Ryerson Way. The proposed replacement would provide ADA-compliant seating.

The council invited public comment; no members of the public spoke during the hearing and the council moved to close the public portion. Later in the meeting the administration confirmed that a companion grant application had been submitted to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and that the adopted consent agenda includes Resolution R34-25, the 2025 Open Space Grant submission for ADA bleacher replacement at Franklin Field.

Why it matters: If funded, ADA-compliant bleachers would improve accessibility at a borough recreation facility and are aligned with the capital improvements reported by the borough engineer.

Details from the meeting

- Project description: Replace two deteriorated bleachers at WAG 1 / Franklin Field (Ryerson Way) with ADA-compliant bleachers. The transcript describes the project as a county/state open space grant application to replace two deteriorated bleachers and make them ADA compliant.

- Public hearing: opened by the council; no public speakers; council closed the hearing and moved grant application to the consent agenda.

- Administrative follow-up: Administrator Eric Mower noted the borough had also submitted a grant application to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to help fund the replacement; R34-25 on the consent agenda references the Open Space grant application.

Next steps: The grant application is listed in the consent agenda (R34-25) and was approved as part of the consent roll call. Funding, award notifications and project schedule will depend on grant decisions and subsequent procurement steps.