TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Mayor Peter Calamari told council members on Dec. 19 that preliminary plans he posted on the township website were a “starting point” for discussion and consideration of future uses at the former private swim club on Ridgewood Boulevard North, following residents’ comments at the council meeting questioning what types of recreational fields should go there.
Meanwhile, council members still have not decided whether they will accept nearly $439,000 in county Open Space grant funding — awarded in mid-December — and pending final information on what they can and cannot do on the 6.1-acre property if county funding is accepted.
On Dec. 18, Calamari posted:
- Letters from Recreation Director Eammon Twomey,
- A “realistic development potential” letter from Boswell Engineering,
- A Boswell list of fields the firm is designing,
- A general concept proposal showing two ballfields and a parking lot, and
- An environmental constraints map showing wetlands and required protected buffer areas.
Calamari said the renderings showed “initial proposals. No decisions have been made and no funds have been allocated for changes or improvements at this time. No votes have been taken. I stand by that. This is just a starting point to start a dialogue with the public, with the Rec Advisory Board and with the Council. This is not a process that is going to be rushed through.”
He said two diamond-shaped recreational fields were indicated on the initial drawings because the recreation director told him that was what they get the most requests for.
He said Boswell’s initial renderings “show the areas that can support fields” without investing “major money” to change the site’s topography.
Calamari said “sometime in January” he hoped to host a public meeting focused to hear residents’ input on what should be put at the swim club property. He said Boswell Engineering officials would be there to answer residents’ questions.
Earlier, during public comment, residents wondered about the preliminary drawings.
Resident Michael DeSena, a former councilman who challenged Calamari for mayor in 2021, and is president of of Washington Township Falcons baseball and softball, said only baseball fields were shown in initial renderings — not football, soccer, or lacrosse — and questioned what would go there.
Council President Desserie Morgan said the renderings “were not hard…and not set in stone” and were done mainly to show what land was usable.
Council Vice President Stacey Feeney said “That is not the final plan and we’re nowhere near a final plan.”
DeSena noted “We’re putting the cart before the horse. You can build anything you want but at what cost?” He asked whether they were talking about a $5 million or a $10 million project.
Feeney said the council had already asked for overall project costs “and we already agreed we were not going to move anything forward until we had a cost put out there.”
Morgan and Feeney noted the fields were likely to be “multi-use fields” that could accommodate various sports.
Morgan said though approximately 60% of space at the swim club was not usable due to environmental constraints (wetlands, buffers, and transition areas), the renderings show available space, but said no decisions have been made on what recreational fields will go there.
Councilwoman Daisy Velez, who heads the township’s public affairs office, said that softball fields for girls were needed and said that girls’ sports “need to have the same priority as the boys.”
Resident Tommy Snee said he agreed with Velez and Sweeney that more softball fields for girls were needed.
Answering his questions, Calamari said no timeline for more renderings was known, and that council would make the “final decision” on what ultimately goes on the property.
Calamari said he could not give a final timeline on when the recreational facility would be completed.
Snee noted with more development, including Franklin Court apartments coming soon, additional recreational space will be needed for more children.