HILLSDALE—A disagreement between the Hillsdale Soccer Association and borough professionals over whether Centennial Field is safe to play on, since new silt drains were installed to improve field drainage, might be decided by the borough’s insurance carrier, officials said at the Nov. 9 council meeting.
The association claims the fields at Centennial “are not playable and have not been safe since the Borough claimed they were ready,” Hillsdale Soccer Association President Drew Metz wrote to council.
“Prior to work commencing on Centennial Field, which include(s) Corra baseball field, Harada soccer fields, and Knickerbocker baseball field, Hillsdale sports associations were told the fields would be in virtually the same condition as before work began and ready to be played on as soon as work was completed,” said Metz.
“Subsequent discussions indicated the drains would be 3” to 4” wide at most and grass would grow over it. We contend that the drains were not installed as described, the fields in their current state are not playable, and have not been safe since the Borough claimed they were ready,” Metz alleged.
Borough Engineer Chris Statile said the silt drains are commonly used on fields to improve drainage, and all indications are the drains are working well to remove excess water from Centennial Field and allow play following small or large rain storms.
He said the fields were safe to play on, as did Public Works Superintendent Billy Haffler.
If the Joint Insurance Fund cannot resolve whether the fields are safe or not, Council President Abby Lundy suggested getting a “second opinion” from another engineer to determine whether field conditions are safe to play on.
Borough Administrator Chris Tietjen said he would reach out to the Joint Insurance Fund to see if they would like to send a professional to check the field’s condition and surface safety.
Tietjen said he would report back to council at the Dec. 7 meeting.
Metz’s letter to council (linked to the agenda) sparked discussion about how and who should determine that the field is safe to play on given the soccer association’s insistence that its surface is unsafe and that they will not allow play there.
“It is the opinion of the HSA, which has members with several decades of experience in youth sports and child safety, that the fields are completely unplayable and unsafe. Soccer is a sport where players run at full speed and make sharp turns. Extreme forces are exerted on joints and a proper playing surface is instrumental in keeping a player unharmed,” Metz said.
He added, “Turning on the gravel, a player can easily tear a ligament in the knee or ankle. Falling on the gravel will result in scrapes at best, or severe lacerations. The irrigation pipe (now removed) is an impalement hazard.”
He said, “In addition to the safety concerns, the uneven surface creates havoc on the playability of the sport. Balls cannot roll evenly across the swaths of gravel. The gravel does not stay in place, and in fact is suspected in enticing fauna to excavate and dig homes. It is unbelievable to think grass could ever grow over the gravel, since no seed was sown and the gravel is intended to be permeable — it will not hold the silt or topsoil needed for grass to germinate.”
Councilwoman Janetta Trochimiuk asked whether the soccer association would accept an opinion on field safety from their insurance carrier since the association did not accept the professional opinion of the borough engineer that the field was safe to play on.
Several members and Mayor John Ruocco said a safety expert could be hired to review field playing conditions.
Previously, Tietjen said that the JIF told him that it would accept the conclusions of the borough’s engineer and public works superintendent regarding the field’s safe or unsafe playing condition. Both previously concluded the field was safe to play on with the new silt drains.
Metz disagreed with that assessment.
Councilman Frank Pizzella said the council needed to determine whether the fields were safe or unsafe to play on and needed to get professionals similar to those who evaluated the fields for them.
Councilman Anthony De Rosa said, “If we say it’s safe but they [Hillsdale Soccer Association] say it’s not and we won’t play on it, that’s disappointing.”
Ruocco said he was concerned that vandalism may be occurring on Centennial Field, noting a photo that showed a shallow ditch on part of one field.
DeRosa said the council also needed to know what it could do between now and spring 2022 to improve the field for safe play.
Centennial Field recently was identified as the most likely to get a new artificial turf surface by the Borough Council Special Temporary Steering Committee on the Community Center and Fields, although final decisions and public input are yet to come.
Officials noted even if Centennial is chosen, artificial turf would not be in place by spring 2022.
Metz wrote, “The drainage work was a test case for improving the quality of the athletic fields. It was supposed to be a simple job that would increase the availability of the fields by preventing them from being waterlogged and unusable after even moderate rains.”
He said “The job was supposed to be an interim solution until and if the town could replace the grass with a turf field in the future. However, the town has failed in all but one thing. The drains work, but the field is unusable.”