Hampton Township to seek $250,000 state grant to replace Macaulay Fields lights; insurance claim filed for storm damage

Hampton Township officials said they will seek a state grant to replace aging lights and control systems at Macaulay Fields and that the township is filing an insurance claim for storm damage to field infrastructure.

Community services staff told the Hampton Township Council on May 14 that the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program offers grants up to $250,000 and that the township would contribute $130,000 as a local match if the application is successful, creating a roughly $380,000 project to upgrade lights and controls at Macaulay Fields.

Why it matters: Fields 2 and 3 are “the ones most heavily utilized by HAA,” the staff said, and current fixtures and ballasts are aging and increasingly difficult to maintain. Replacing the lights and upgrading to LED fixtures with smartphone-app controls would, staff said, reduce maintenance and operating costs and improve field operations.

Community services staff described the request as authorization to submit a grant application rather than a completed funding decision. “We’re not gonna abandon the Meadow Field project,” the staff member said, adding that the township plans to continue pursuing other grant opportunities if this application is unsuccessful.

Staff provided several details about costs and timing. They said full replacement of individual fields if done without grant funding could cost about $190,000 per field and that Field 1 would be more expensive — “north of a quarter of a million dollars.” The township reported it has replaced roughly 70 bulbs at the fields over the past three years and that the existing sodium-light ballasts are aging and becoming scarce. On likely energy savings from LEDs, staff said, “It’s kind of a crapshoot. They say at least 15% is the low end… it could be in the 30% range.”

On storm damage, staff said they are “submitting a claim through insurance” for damage that included a bent scoreboard support and damaged backstops at Fields 2 and 3. The township said some scoreboard issues predated the storm and that the school district had installed some equipment at Field 1 years earlier; responsibility for repairs is being coordinated with the district and with insurance.

Timeline: staff said award notifications for the state grant typically come in the fall but could stretch into early 2026; if the grant is not funded, staff described an incremental approach to replacing fixtures over multiple years.

Council members asked about interim repairs and available insurance proceeds. Public works staff (JR) said crews will continue targeted bulb replacements this summer and that access for cranes to replace fixtures has been delayed by wet field conditions.

The item was presented as a request to authorize submitting the grant application; no formal vote or grant award was recorded at the meeting.

Less critical: staff noted ancillary benefits such as reduced light pollution and longer bulb life for LEDs. If the grant is awarded, the township said it would upgrade both lighting fixtures and control systems to smartphone-based operation.