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Residents press Elmwood Park council for new softball field; officials promise engineering follow-up
Summary
Multiple residents and youth players urged the Elmwood Park council to replace an aging softball field with turf to reduce cancellations and injuries; council said engineers will provide new pricing and the council expects further discussion in September.
Elmwood Park— Dozens of residents and youth players asked the borough council on Aug. 21 to replace an aging softball field with an updated turf surface, saying the existing field frequently puddles, forces rescheduled games and presents safety hazards.
Andrea Ray, a volunteer coach and former player, told the council the field is "not just a field" but a place where girls build confidence and community; she said roughly 150 girls played last season and asked the borough not to remove the field. "We want a little turf field...so we can have a safe and clean place to play," she said.
Kenny Delgado and other parents stressed that turf requires upfront investment but reduces long-term maintenance and increases year-round usability for community events. Young players who spoke said repeated delays and puddles limit practice and game time.
Council members acknowledged the concerns and said the borough is collecting new pricing from the engineer. "We're going to have another meeting in September with our engineer," Council President Pellegrini said, and the council pledged to share updated options once estimates are available. Councilman Sampson told attendees the field is not being removed, but that decisions about upgrades are still under consideration.
No funding or timeline was finalized at the meeting; the council described the process as ongoing and said it would report back with engineer pricing and proposed options.
