Bernards Township planning board finds Ridge High School athletic upgrades "not inconsistent" with master plan, adds neighbor safeguards

The Bernards Township Planning Board voted to find the Board of Education’s proposed athletic improvements at Ridge High School not inconsistent with the township master plan and sent a letter with recommended conditions on Sept. 16.

Heather Goldstein, counsel for the Board of Education, introduced witnesses including Jeffrey Morris of Boswell Engineering and Superintendent Nick Markarian. Morris described a project at 285 South Maple Avenue that would replace the existing soccer surface with artificial turf, relocate bleachers, install a retaining wall and scoreboard upgrades, and add stormwater measures including subsurface storage beneath the turf and a detention pond near the batting cages to manage runoff.

The project includes a bid alternate for four new field light poles to support multi-sport use (JV football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey). Morris said the poles are proposed at about 85 feet with downward-facing LED panels designed to limit spillage: “they’re flat panels and they’re just aimed like that straight down at the field,” he testified. The design team said modern LEDs are more focused than older metal-halide fixtures and that lighting manufacturers program schedules and provide central controls for operation.

Board members pushed the applicant on potential neighborhood impacts. Morris said the closest homes are on Peach Tree and Woodstone roads on a wooded slope above the site and that letters were sent to nearby residents; James Row, the Board of Education business administrator, testified two residents contacted the district and were more concerned about a possible public-address system than the lights. “At this time there are not any provisions in the plans for [a] PA system,” Row said.

On turf, the applicant described two options: a conventional infill field with rubber crumb and a higher‑cost “pivot” system with little or no rubber infill. Morris noted the bid contains a product called “Cool Play” that uses larger granules to limit dispersion but acknowledged some small black infill may still be present.

The board examined stormwater and safety details. Morris said the turf will incorporate recharge under the field and that the new detention pond and subsurface stone storage are sized to meet contemporary 2‑, 10‑ and 100‑year storm design standards; he said the basin’s maximum water elevation in design storms is shallow (about 3.5 feet) and confirmed an open fence will surround the basin. Geotechnical borings for the four pole foundations reportedly found no ledge, and pole foundations were designed for the expected conditions.

Planning consultant Beth McManis concluded in a memo dated Sept. 14 that the proposal is not inconsistent with the township’s 2023 master plan. The board then voted on a consistency determination, and a separate motion adopted a set of nonbinding recommendations to accompany the board secretary’s letter to the district.

The recommendations the board approved were: maintain or replace screening/vegetation to reduce parking‑lot headlight glare onto the residence immediately south of the site; prohibit any exterior public‑address system associated with the project; and confirm facility hours consistent with Board of Education policy—established by the board at 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on all days unless the superintendent approves otherwise. The board recorded an affirmative roll‑call for both motions.

The board secretary will prepare the formal consistency letter to the Board of Education business administrator and circulate copies to interested parties. The board noted neighbors can raise questions at the Board of Education meeting scheduled by the district.