NOVEMBER 24, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015, 11:45 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
(This article is the second of an ongoing series examining the Schedler property and the issues surrounding it.)
In the springtime, a common sound heard around the village’s parks is the distinct metallic “ping” of an aluminum bat making solid contact with a baseball.
With a robust baseball program, Ridgewood is home to many ball fields at its numerous parks scattered all around town, but the need for one specific size field has become entangled with one of the village’s most sensitive issues.
The Ridgewood News has already explored the concerns held by residents in the neighborhood that plays home to the historic Zabriskie-Schedler house and property, where a full-size 90-foot baseball field has been proposed.
However, it may be the last place remaining to install such a field, driving the Ridgewood Baseball Softball Association (RBSA) to donate money to the village as part of a matching grant opportunity from Bergen County that would allow the proposed Phase One portion of the project, which consists of a cleanup in the woodlands on West Saddle River Road, to begin.
While there has always been a need for more fields in Ridgewood, the completion of the state-of-the-art track and field complex at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in 2011 put a tremendous strain on the resources available to the RBSA, said President Jim Albano.
Previously, that field was home to one of the village’s two “60-90” fields – a diamond consisting of 90-foot basepaths and a pitcher’s mound that sits 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate. BF was also home to a smaller, multi-purpose field with a dirt infield.
Christ almighty, I am so sick of the RBSA’s needs needs needs and wants wants wants
What a sad story. These underprivileged children being denied field access 7 days a week.
Someone should set up a gofundme for these lost boys.
What about the needs of other residents? Not every Village youth is an active RBSA member. What about adult and senior recreation? We all MATTER! Why does every park site become a baseball field in this town? Does this Jim Albano or RBSA consider other residents besides themselves?
I agree with 12:46 pm we want and want and want.There is only so much land so let the sports council look into buying land elsewhere.
Aren’t most of the Ridgewood youths with their personal trainers 2-3 days a week anyway?
Bullshirt – BFMS had only 1 60×90 field….the field tucked in the corner by the graveyard was 46×60.
Stop spring soccer and you wouldn’t have a ‘field shortage.”
Call their bluff – tell the Rec Comm that you can only put grass in at Schedler and it must be a baseball-only facility with a permanent fence. The Rec Comm would say ‘no thanks.’
Has always been a “problem.” You don’t move to Ridgewood so your kid can play ball. To get a better than average education yes, but not to play baseball. On the other hand, if the kid is good, somehow they get noticed…even in Ridgewood.
Good point. A lot of field use is “fall ball” lax and baseball. In the spring the soccer teams still want to play. At the upper levels it is the same kids playing on all the teams. There is no broad enrollment, everything is specialized. The year round sports benefit very few.
Part of the problem is that seasonal sports are running 12 months a year. No one owes them off season access. They will take as much as they can.
Why can’t a field be just anfield? Most residents and students do not benefit from the Ridgewood sports demands. I remember 15 years ago whrn girlf playing rec softball were included in a fundraiser for a batting/pitching cage at Vets. No one told them that the new facility would be for the travel team only.
Who was the last decent baseball player Ridgewood produced?
Jim Bouton ??? Bowie Kuhn lived her awhile
Put the field up at Willard.
These are the folks that voted for the $44MM bond referendum that gave us turf at the fields on the HS campus and the all weather track at Ben Franklin.
What’s fair is fair…no ?
Why does Mark Krulish always seem to carry the water buckets for the Rec Committee…?
It’s about time people started chiming in with regards to how stupid this is and a complete waste of resources. Get back to the books junior… Your not going pro.
If the RBSA wants more sports fields let them raise money to buy the land and build and run their own fields on a private (ie: tax paying) basis. This way they can have all the fields they want. It makes no sense for ALL the taxpayers in Ridgewood to support the dreams of a few.
9:20 – Give Mark a break. He had an article that was entirely on the side of the Schedler neighbors the week before, and it was a great article. He is fair and honest and it seems that the mayor does not own him like he owned Chris Harris. That relationship was really an eyebrow raiser.