Ridgewood council approves Musco contract, accepts donations to finish Veterans Field girls softball lighting

The Village Council of Ridgewood on Jan. 29 approved a $258,000 contract with Musco Lighting to add poles and fixtures that will complete lighting for the varsity girls softball field at Veterans Field and accepted $270,000 in grants and donations to pay for the work.

Council action came on a consent vote that included the Musco contract, formal acceptance of four community donations and a shared‑services agreement with the Ridgewood Board of Education. The council recorded unanimous affirmative votes from Council members Mortimer, Perrin, Weitz, Winograd and White.

The council and staff described the project as a two‑phase installation. Phase 1, already completed, funded a set of poles and retrofits. Phase 2 will remove three existing poles, reuse some hardware, and install four new poles to properly illuminate the girls softball diamond, Village Manager Keith said. "We're still on point to have these lights installed and operational before opening day in baseball," he said, identifying April 26 as the target.

Village staff outlined the financing package that bridged a funding gap. Sources listed by staff were roughly $40,000 in open capital for park development, a $103,000 Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund grant, an $80,000 Board of Education capital commitment, a $17,000 donation from RBSA and three $10,000 donations from Maroon Soccer, Ridgewood Junior Football and Ridgewood Lacrosse for a total of $270,000. The Musco contract accounts for $258,000; staff said remaining funds will cover excavation, electrical upgrades and other site work.

Mayor Baragianos and Deputy Mayor Pam Perrin publicly thanked Bergen County Commissioners Mary Amoroso and Tom Sullivan, representatives of local sports groups and the Board of Education for contributing time and money. A number of local sports representatives spoke at the meeting, including Scott Mueller (baseball), Ramon Hashe (junior football), Anne Kauffman (lacrosse) and a representative of the Maroon Soccer Club; RBSA presented a check for $17,000 at the meeting.

Council members and staff said the completed lighting will use less energy and reduce light spill onto neighboring properties compared with prior construction lights. Attendance and registration figures shared by a sports representative indicated the improvements will benefit more than 1,100 youth and high school athletes across multiple programs, including about 70 high‑school baseball and 44 high‑school softball participants.

The contract and donations were authorized under the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey cooperative purchasing contract and a shared‑services agreement with the Ridgewood Board of Education, both of which were included in the consent vote.

The council did not discuss any amendments to the Musco contract during the public record of the meeting. Staff said additional non‑Musco costs (excavation, electric work) remain to be invoiced and will be funded from the package described above.

Votes at a glance: the consent agenda that included the Musco contract, acceptance of donations and the Board of Education shared‑services agreement passed on a roll call of five yes votes.