TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Members of the Township’s Recreation Advisory Board spoke up for the proposed “great lawn” concept plan they recommended for the former swim club property on Ridgewood Boulevard North at a June 25 public forum held at the senior center.
Although no cost estimates were provided, the recreation advisory board members stressed that the passive-rec plan offers a 51,000-square-foot great lawn that can be used for kids’ activities and adult recreation such as frisbee. The plan includes amenities such as event space, a walking/bicycling path, a dog park, four pickleball courts, and a children’s playground.
Mayor Peter Calamari, who hosted the June 25 session, also recorded by WCTV-NJ and available online, called the meeting a “starting point” for the long-awaited recreational proposal for the former swim club, purchased in April 2022 by the township.
He said a second public input session would be held in September and urged residents to submit comments on the project.
Boswell Engineering’s Kevin Boswell provided a 30-minute overview of the proposed “Great Lawn” concept plan, noting that the site’s topography and environmental constraints played a key role in developing the passive recreation proposal.
Recreation Advisory Board chair Eamonn Twomey said the committee “unanimously” supported the passive recreation concept plan that incorporates a great lawn, walking and cycling path, and a convenient dog park on the former 6.1-acre swim club site. Twomey, reading from the advisory board’s letter, noted the concept plan allows flexibility that serves both younger and older residents, and minimizes costs and maintenance of the property.
Two other recreation board members spoke in support of the proposal: Timothy Ritter said the proposed great lawn was “undedicated” and could be used for T-ball, instructional softball for girls, and possibly soccer and lacrosse. And Jim Hanson said he liked the concept plan’s “undedicated, unplanned” open space.
He noted that extra baseball fields are “only baseball fields” and that kids could get hurt falling on dirt versus grass. He said the great lawn was “very little cost” for maintenance and required only mowing.
Hanson said while pickleball may be a fad, the four courts to be placed near the Garden State Parkway would minimize any potential noise complaints from the noise generated by bouncing plastic pickleballs.
He mentioned that a basketball court at nearby Gardner Field can be accessed from the former swim club property. A proposed pathway would allow bike riding and dog walking, as well as a newly proposed dog park, providing a space for people to walk, socialize, and engage in activities at Gardner Field.
Hanson called the cost for the proposal “probably the most minimal thing we could come up with as a town to make use of this.” Officials offered no cost estimates at the June 25 public input session. On July 8, Pascack Press requested a cost estimate for the “great lawn” concept plan but a reply was not received by press time.
Council President Michael DeSena asked Boswell if an enclosed building such as a community center could be built on the site after the town accepted a $438,750 grant from the Bergen County Open Space fund. Boswell said no. He said that while an open-air pavilion or shade structure might be built, the county grant restrictions made any enclosed structures unlikely to be approved.
Boswell explained the site’s drop in elevation from the entrance and portions around the pool and building area to near the Garden State Parkway, which go from an elevation of 138 feet to a low of 114 feet.
He said areas away from the current pool fall off very steeply and building in those areas would require large and expensive retaining walls.
Initial concept plans included softball and lacrosse fields, but both required “very expensive” retaining walls due to the site’s topography and might require removing large numbers of trees, another long and costly proposition.
Susan Broskie of Ridgewood Boulevard North asked Calamari if the township would consider leaving a 40-foot buffer zone between the new great lawn and walking path and her property. She said the proposed plan showed only a 20-foot buffer. She said she has a fence there and asked if the fence would remain.
Calamari said they would keep the fence there “in some format” and possibly move it to “maximize your buffer zone.”
Broskie said she hoped the added buffer could help against the sounds of music and other events at the proposed park.
Resident Patrick Fay wondered if the site could be regraded and fill imported to make the site more usable for baseball fields.
Boswell said imported fill soil needed to be tested for contaminants and a state permit would likely be needed to remove trees.
Fay expressed concern that the Great Lawn “could bring in outsiders” who might want to barbecue or otherwise congregate there. Boswell acknowledged this concern, noting that it was a local policy decision and that there are instances of such issues occurring.
Resident Mary Ann Ozment raised concerns about a “water problem” on portions of the recreational fields due to drainage issues. She also expressed worry about the secluded location of the swim club potentially inviting unwelcome activities.
At the June 5 council meeting, when Calamari initially revealed the proposal, DeSena, councilman Tom Sears, and Councilwoman Daisy Velez expressed disappointment with it. DeSena called it “a vanilla plan” and Velez said though she was happy to see a plan for the property, she would “be lying if I didn’t say I was disappointed not to see some fields on this.”
Calamari said the recreation committee had reviewed five layouts for potential recreation uses on the site. No information was made available on the other concept plans.
Sears questioned why the swim club concept plans were done by Boswell, noting they were looking for a recreation center, baseball fields, and maybe even a hockey field. Velez suggested the dog park be moved away from the proposed children’s playground due to safety, noise, and odor concerns.
She asked whether a “splash pad” might be located near the children’s playground. DeSena said he did not think the former swim club’s “existing infrastructure” would support such a use. “This is a starting point. It is nowhere near an ending point,” said Calamari.
View the session by clicking on the Swim Club Property Plan link on the township website.