logo
Google Play App Store
Log In subscribe and/or renew Eeditions
  • Home
  • E-Edition
    • This Week Newspaper
    • Archives
    • Local Shops
    • This is Westfield
    • Search the Archives
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Sports
  • Community
    • Life Events
    • Community Calendar
  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Classified
  • Legals
  • Advertise
    • Advertorial
    • Paid Political
    • Sponsored Content
  • subscribe and/or renew
  • Contact
    • Home
    • E-Edition
      • This Week Newspaper
      • Archives
      • Local Shops
      • This is Westfield
      • Search the Archives
    • News
    • Opinions
    • Sports
    • Community
      • Life Events
      • Community Calendar
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Obituaries
      • Submit an Obituary
    • Classified
    • Legals
    • Advertise
      • Advertorial
      • Paid Political
      • Sponsored Content
    • subscribe and/or renew
    • Contact
  • Home
  • E-Edition
    • This Week Newspaper
    • Archives
    • Local Shops
    • This is Westfield
    • Search the Archives
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Sports
  • Community
    • Life Events
    • Community Calendar
  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Classified
  • Legals
  • Advertise
    • Advertorial
    • Paid Political
    • Sponsored Content
  • subscribe and/or renew
  • Contact
    • Home
    • E-Edition
      • This Week Newspaper
      • Archives
      • Local Shops
      • This is Westfield
      • Search the Archives
    • News
    • Opinions
    • Sports
    • Community
      • Life Events
      • Community Calendar
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Obituaries
      • Submit an Obituary
    • Classified
    • Legals
    • Advertise
      • Advertorial
      • Paid Political
      • Sponsored Content
    • subscribe and/or renew
    • Contact
Effort to Force Public Vote On Brookside Turf Moving Forward
News
FRED T. ROSSI on
May 10, 2023
Effort to Force Public Vote On Brookside Turf Moving Forward

SCOTCH PLAINS – Organizers of a petition drive to force a referendum on the Brookside Park artificial turf question are expressing confidence they will be successful in their efforts to give township voters a say on whether to install synthetic turf at the park’s baseball field.

In April, after months of public input on the turf question—most of it in opposition—the township council approved a $3.8 million bond ordinance to finance the turf project along with a host of other upgrades and improvements to the 23-acre park. At an April 18 meeting of the council, one resident living near the park, Shawnee Path homeowner Fran Wagner, warned the governing body that neighbors opposed to the turf proposal were “prepared to take steps to force a referendum so everyone can vote.”

With the deadline approaching to garner enough signatures—20 days after the ordinance’s actual publication on April 27 in Union County HAWK—one of the main organizers of the petition effort, Woodside Road resident Nancy Coker, told HAWK that it is “going very well.” She said backers of the petition, which seeks a referendum to repeal the $3.8 million ordinance, have received “a lot of responses from all parts of town. It’s not just a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) issue. This is resonating.”

Mayor Joshua Losardo said last month that he was “not a believer in referendums. The people elected us to make hard decisions” such as the one on the Brookside field, he said.

Ms. Coker said that a little more than 1,400 verified signatures are needed to compel the town to hold a referendum. The exact number needed, based on a state formula, is equal to 15 percent of the number of township voters who cast a ballot in the 2021 General Assembly election. She said Friends of Brookside Park, which is coordinating the effort, hopes to deliver the petition to the township clerk’s office before the May 17 deadline.

ePaper
coogle_play
app_store
ePaper
coogle_play
app_store
ePaper
coogle_play
app_store
Most Read
Residents Decry Approval of South Ave. Apt. Application
Main, News
Residents Decry Approval of South Ave. Apt. Application
By FRED T. ROSSI 
Thursday, July 3, 2025
FANWOOD — Despite opposition from neighborhood residents, the planning board last month approved an application to develop property on South Avenue in...
this is a test
Garwood Poet Receives Community Spirit Award
Main, News
Garwood Poet Receives Community Spirit Award
By DEVON GOHDE 
Thursday, July 3, 2025
GARWOOD — During Thursday night’s meeting of the Garwood mayor and council, resident and poet Sheila Moreira was honored with a Community Spirit Award...
this is a test
Jason Benedict Named to Fill Vacancy on SP-F BOE
Main, News
Jason Benedict Named to Fill Vacancy on SP-F BOE
By FRED T. ROSSI 
Thursday, July 3, 2025
FANWOOD — Jason Benedict was appointed to the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education last month to fill the vacancy created when long-time board mem...
this is a test
Raiders Won UCT, Sectional In Boys Volleyball, Finish 27-5
Sports
ENNIS KILLS, BALESTRINO ASSISTS, FRANK BLOCKS
Raiders Won UCT, Sectional In Boys Volleyball, Finish 27-5
By DAVID B. CORBIN 
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Competition may have been stiffer but the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School boys volleyball team still managed to assert its dominance in Union County...
this is a test
Special-Edition Library Card By Artist Is Available
Arts and Entertainment
Special-Edition Library Card By Artist Is Available
Thursday, July 3, 2025
WESTFIELD — The Westfield Memorial Library has announced that its latest limited-edition library card is now available. The library is located at 550 ...
this is a test
This site complies with ADA requirements

© Copyright The The Westfield Leader

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Policy
This site complies with ADA requirements

© Copyright The The Westfield Leader