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Residents press for Memorial Field baseball upgrades; borough staff outlines drainage and turf plans
Summary
Resident Tom Weber urged council action to improve Memorial Field’s baseball facilities, citing drainage problems and safety concerns; borough staff said engineers will install finger drains and are designing a multi-purpose turf field to be bid in the fall, with potential construction next spring.
Tom Weber, a Rutherford resident and former Little League trustee, told the Borough Council on June 23 that Memorial Field’s baseball facilities need upgrades to address chronic drainage problems and safety concerns. "If it rains more than a mist, that field is not playable for at least two days," Weber said, and he urged the council to include stakeholders—Coach Carmen Spina, athletic director David Frasier and Superintendent Hurley—in planning shouldering improvements such as a regulation bullpen, a new backstop, foul poles and fencing to separate players and spectators.
Borough staff responded with a combination of short-term and longer-term steps. A borough staff member said the engineer plans to install "finger drains" in the offseason on Diamond 3 to improve infield drainage. The same official said the borough’s engineer is designing a new multi-purpose turf portion of Memorial Field (north of Diamond 4) that officials hope to bid in the fall and complete next spring, while noting that a permanent perimeter fence could interfere with soccer and lacrosse use. "A permanent fence will not work because then it impacts the other sports that use those fields," a borough official said; staff suggested temporary fencing during baseball season as a compromise.
Another borough official present (identified in the meeting record as "Premier Brian") said the project is in "final permit stages" with state permitting authorities for the proposed north artificial-grass field, which can be striped for varsity baseball; once permits are secured the borough will solicit pricing from contractors and aim to schedule construction after travel soccer season ends in the fall.
Council members said they support collaboration among borough staff, Little League, the high school and school administrators to develop a plan that addresses drainage and player-safety needs. Council members also noted possible budget additions or bid add-ons (for example, a backstop or improved drainage) that could be included as the project advances from design to procurement.
Next steps: borough staff will proceed with the engineer’s offseason drainage work, pursue state permits for the north turf field, solicit contractor pricing this fall, and report back to the council as the project moves toward construction and potential temporary-fence solutions during baseball season.
