County works with boro on concerns about park
Athletic fields to be located on Rt. 1 at border of two towns
BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer

Middlesex County officials have made changes in their plans for a park in Milltown in order to satisfy the concerns of some residents.

"To their credit, along with CME [Associates], they looked at our concerns and made some pretty significant changes," Milltown Councilman Randy Farkas said. "I think everyone was very happy. ... I think the majority of the issues were resolved."

Proposed to be located along Route 1 on the border of Milltown and North Brunswick, the park will consist of two sports fields, along with a playground, comfort station and 75-80 parking spaces. A grass Little League field and a turf-covered, lighted soccer field will be installed for primary use by the two towns, said Ralph Albanir, county director of parks and recreation.

"Both municipalities are in need of additional recreational facilities," Albanir said. "North Brunswick has asked for this consistently, [and] Milltown Borough has asked for recreational facilities, so there is a definite need."

Some Milltown residents disagreed, fearing, among other things, that the new park would disturb their quality of life due to the noise, lights and traffic it would bring to the area. To allay their fears, county officials went back to the drawing board, moving the access point and parking area as far as possible from nearby houses, and installing additional landscaping as buffers, Albanir said. The location of the Little League field has also been changed, to distance it from residences that may have been affected.

"That goes a long way toward making this more palatable," Farkas said.

Mayor Gloria Bradford agreed, but had reservations.

"I have to compliment the county; they did listen to the residents," Bradford said. "I think I'd be dishonest to say that it wouldn't cause a change to the residents in the area. How much of a disruption, I don't know. That's something that can't easily be measured."

Michael Shakarjian, vice chairman of the Milltown Environmental Commission, said the changes helped to make the proposed park less problematic, but he still had some issues with the plans.

"There were quite a few concerns from residents in the area, and members of the public who live farther away," Shakarjian said. "I think that the best thing for Milltown and the residents, from my understanding of what our needs are, [is] instead of adding more commotion ... my thought is that it would be better to have more passive recreation."

Features like walking and jogging trails and a butterfly garden would be better for the 25-acre parcel, Shakarjian said. Despite Albanir's comment that Milltown is in need of athletic fields, Farkas said the town's recreational programs are small, with limited needs.

Bradford said no one came to her voicing a need for greater recreational facilities, but acknowledged that maybe the town could use them.

"I'm sure there's a need. Is it a dire need? I don't think so," Bradford said.

Either way, Bradford said she is hoping the town's use of the fields will be comparable to the amount of disruption the new park will bring.

Middlesex County jointly purchased 50 acres along Route 1 with the New Jersey Economic Development Agency (EDA). Open space funds, paired with a Green Acres grant, covered the $3,675,000 cost for the county's half of the land, Albanir said.

The state grant will cover half the county's costs for the purchase, and though the money has been allocated for this purpose, it will take four to five months to procure the funds, according to Albanir.

The project is slated to go out to bid within the next two months.

A commercial office research facility is slated for the EDA's portion of the land, likely something similar to Johnson & Johnson, which is located across the street, Albanir said. No tenant for that parcel has been secured, he said.

The land is zoned for commercial purposes.

"The alternative to the park would have been for a commercial office research facility throughout the 50 acres," Albanir said. "We've managed to limit the development to 25 acres. They should consider the alternative. The whole concept was to build a park in the area that was closest to the homes."

Still, Shakarjian and others have concerns.

Because of the park's location along Route 1, Shakarjian said, fumes from nearby traffic could cause a health hazard.

"Normal park usage is outside peak hours ... unless it's a weekend," Albanir said. "We have parks in other busy areas, and we haven't seen problems."

One major source of contention was the use of artificial turf on the soccer and multipurpose field.

"Some of us see it as kind of inconsistent to buy open space, then cover it with plastic or rubber, or whatever," Shakarjian said.

Turf is 10 to 15 degrees warmer than natural grass, Shakarjian pointed out, and has a life span of 10 to 15 years. He questioned whether the layers of synthetic material would need a complete renewal at that time.

Albanir touted the benefits of turf.

"It has a much wider use," Albanir said. "The turf can be used all the time, day after day, and you don't have to worry about the question of maintenance."

Natural grass fields can easily be ruined if more than two games a day are played on them, Albanir said.

Though he acknowledged that the synthetic field can reach higher temperatures during certain times of the year, he said water can be used to cool them down.

According to Albanir, the biggest cost associated with the field would be in its initial installation. Since it is installed in layers, additional replacement materials can be put in as needed at a lower cost, he said.

"You have to compare that against the cost of maintaining a grass field," Albanir said. "There are tremendous costs associated with maintaining a grass field."

Shakarjian cited the negative impact on wildlife from the nearby woods, specifically naming ground hogs.

"Whatever surface you put there, we would have to relocate those ground hogs," Albanir said.

The ground hogs would be trapped by animal control officers, then brought to other county open space parcels, Albanir said.

"The idea here is to find a balance between the environment and the need for recreation, and that's something we try to do throughout the park system," Albanir said.

No matter how the county tries to put to rest the concerns of residents and town officials, some remain dubious about the plans.

Shakarjian said the county could find better ways to use open space funds because of the current financial climate.

"With the real estate market being somewhat weak at this time, I think it lends itself to a special opportunity for government to purchase properties that would be more expensive or prohibitive by other means to purchase," Shakarjian said.

"There is a certain contingent in Milltown that thinks open space should be kept just that - open space," Farkas said.

Bradford revealed herself as part of that contingent, but surrendered to the reality of things.

"Ideally, that should remain open space," she said. "But since it is going to be used for something, a park is a good use. Change is never easy, but you make the best of it, I guess."