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Resident criticizes Everett Field access, safety and maintenance at Verona council meeting
Summary
A public commenter said the new Everett Field is locked to most town residents and primarily used by one league, raised concerns about pedestrian crossings and field maintenance, and urged the township to reopen the field and improve safety measures.
Paul Petrangeli spoke during public comment to urge changes at Everett Field, which he said is being kept locked except for VBSL use. "This Everett Field that you guys built, it's nice. It's great that we did it, but it's locked at all times," Petrangeli said, adding that parents and children who previously used the older field are excluded under current access rules.
Petrangeli criticized the current arrangement as inequitable and raised several maintenance and safety concerns: limited booth access at the snack shack, backstop and fencing that he said do not stop balls, improper field grading after rain, and a missing safe pedestrian crossing for people walking from nearby neighborhoods. "You need to come up with something, a resolution or something to make that a safe corridor," he said.
Councilmembers acknowledged the remarks and earlier praise for the field at ribbon-cutting events, and the mayor and administration said they would follow up. The council has previously thanked volunteers and state and county grant partners for funding parts of the project. The administration did not announce specific policy changes during the July 6 meeting; staff said follow-up contact would be made with residents and DPW about maintenance concerns.
