Park Ridge council approves $150,000 Green Acres grant for Colony Field lighting

The Park Ridge Borough Council voted to pass Resolution 026-075-2026 to seek $150,000 in state Green Acres funding for sports lighting and field improvements at Colony Field.

Lee Weiss, president of the Park Ridge Recreation Association, told the council the board “strongly support[s] the submission of the Green Acres” application and argued that lighting would benefit more than 400 youth baseball and softball participants by extending practice time, improving safety and enabling fundraising tournaments. The council and staff said engineers had provided an environmental-impact statement and that the borough was pursuing grants and had some local funds set aside.

Borough staff described the proposal as part of an ongoing initiative the council began last year; proponents in the public comment period reiterated support. With no additional public opposition during the hearing, the mayor called for a motion. A roll-call vote recorded affirmative responses from the council and the resolution passed.

The resolution authorizes the borough to apply for NJDEP Green Acres funding; council members said additional financing and engineering reviews will follow as necessary. The borough indicated the grant application will be processed through the municipal clerk’s office and that any required environmental and construction steps will be coordinated with staff and the project engineer.

Next steps: the borough will complete the Green Acres application and pursue the local funding plan required to match or support the proposed work; council members said they expect follow-up reports at subsequent meetings.