The $200K+ Paper Trail: How Maple Park’s Turf Field Keeps Draining Ridgewood Taxpayers

file photos courtesy of the Village of Ridgewood, Boyd Loving and other concerned citizens

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, When artificial athletic fields are pitched to local communities, the promise is almost always the same: low maintenance, instant playability after rain, and long-term savings. However, public records obtained from the Village of Ridgewood reveal a starkly different reality when synthetic turf meets severe weather.

A newly released 63-page Open Public Records Act (OPRA) response documents more than $214,000 in taxpayer-funded maintenance, flood remediation, and emergency repairs at Maple Park.

The $214,000 Infill Breakdown

The public records reveal a recurring cycle of flooding, storm damage, and costly municipal repairs following major weather events. Importantly, this $214,600.75 total does not include the initial cost of installing the synthetic turf—it covers only subsequent upkeep and storm-related emergency work since 2021:

• 2021 — $112,485.00: Remediation of Maple Park following a major storm and flood event.

• 2022 — $28,478.84: “Synthetic Turf Repairs at Maple Park due to Storm Damage.”

• 2022 — $795.15: Specialized repair work on the penalty-kick line.

• 2023 — $3,700.00: Annual turf maintenance package (deep-grooming sessions and required G-Max safety testing).

• 2024 — $41,321.76: Storm-damage turf repair and remediation following severe flooding in late December 2023 and January 2024.

• 2024/2025 — $1,850.00: Routine turf maintenance, including infill vacuuming, magnet sweeps, brushing, and leveling.

• 2025 — $24,120.00: Emergency repairs to the Maple Park soccer field following summer storms.

• 2025/2026 — $1,850.00: Additional decompaction, infill vacuuming, and leveling maintenance.

Out of that total, $206,405.60 stems directly from three major flood remediation and emergency repair episodes rather than routine field grooming.

Promises vs. Public Invoices

The line items stand in direct contrast to public statements made by local officials regarding artificial turf upkeep. During a July 2025 Historic Sites Council hearing, Village Manager Keith Kazmark emphasized that synthetic turf requires “little maintenance” and can be utilized immediately after heavy rainfall.

While turf may drain surface water quickly, the village’s own accounting invoices show that severe storms routinely wash out infill, displace turf layers, and require tens of thousands of dollars in emergency restoration by specialized contractors.

As climate patterns continue to bring intense localized rainfall to Bergen County, Ridgewood residents are left asking a critical question: how long can taxpayers afford to maintain artificial turf in a known floodplain?

Stay updated on state and national news that affects you. From politics to policy, from culture to current affairs, our eBlast will keep you well-informed . http://eepurl.com/bgt6T #RidgewoodBlog #LocalNews #StateNews #NationalNews #Subscribe #Community

• Tags: Ridgewood NJ Bergen County Synthetic Turf Taxpayer Money OPRA Maple Park Local Governance Flood Damage