PARK RIDGE—Bond funding for a new synthetic turf field as well as street and road improvements is expected to be available following the Nov. 9 council meeting.
Park Ridge’s Borough Council approved a $590,000 bond ordinance, 2021-026, on Oct. 26 for new artificial turf at Memorial Field, and introduced a $275,000 bond ordinance to pay for the 2021 road, curb, drainage, and sidewalk improvement program.
No street names or list of prioritized streets were provided along with the bond ordinance’s introduction.
A final hearing on the $275,000 bond ordinance is set for Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 8:15 p.m. at Borough Hall.
It was not immediately clear how much the newly bonded funds might cost residents on an annual basis, said officials. Public notices were published on both bond measures on Nov. 1.
Three-quarters to all of the $590,000 bond to replace the Tropical Storm Ida-damaged Memorial Field will be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Borough Administrator Julie Falkenstern recently told Pascack Press.
In addition, the council unanimously introduced a $275,000 bond ordinance Oct. 26 to fund its 2021 road improvement program, scheduled for public hearing Nov. 9. The ordinance calls for bonding $275,000 for the 2021 Road, Curb, Drainage and Sidewalk Improvement Program at various locations.
Falkenstern said the borough anticipated 75% to 100% of turf field bonds to be reimbursed by FEMA due to the state’s emergency declaration and subsequent federal funds being appropriated to counties declared disaster areas.
She said the bonding was needed to authorize the funds now to repair the field in time for spring sports. And she said Memorial Field had only been turfed within the last couple of years, and that a park playground also suffered damage but had since been repaired.
Those repair costs also were submitted for FEMA funding, Falkenstern said.