Opening Ceremony for Shunpike Delayed to Fall

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Shunpike Field will be delayed until the fall, Council President James Lonergan announced during Monday night's Chatham Borough Council meeting.

Lonergan also said Shunpike will be open for games beginning Saturday, June 18.

Lonergan said that the bricks from the walkway would not be installed in time for the scheduled opening on June 18.

"The reason it's pushed back is because the bricks and everything are not going to be set in place," Lonergan said. "You'd rather do it when all the other fields are going to be in place, which should be in the next month or two," he said.

The turf field is installed and the lights on Shunpike Field are set up. However, the grass fields have yet to be completed.

By waiting until the fall when the grass fields are scheduled to be complete to hold the opening ceremony, Lonergan said the field "won't be in disarray."

The Shunpike Field project has experienced numerous delays since the contract was awarded to Fredco Landscaping in early 2010.

Construction of the field has experienced delays ever since the township accepted a bid from Fredco Landscaping .

Fredco for the field that it did not need to pay for, and that caused a delay. In September 2010, Board of Education member John Nonnenmacher said the turf fields were . Construction came to a near standstill during the winter, which brough heavy snowfall. The ground had to dry before work could continue in the spring, which has been difficult because of numerous rainy days.

The grass fields must sit for a year before they can be used for sports games.

Castle Park is still closed to the public while construction work is being done.

Lonergan also said that fees for children participating in recreational sports will increase from $5 to $15 per child per sport. The additional money will go into an account for the Recreation Department to pay for long term improvements to facilities and fields, including equipment purchases.

The money would not go to large-scale projects such as the returfing of Lum Avenue Field, Lonergan said. Such a project, he said, would require specific fundraising efforts.

See the videos above and to the right for other committee reports from the Borough Council members, including updates on the Local Assistance Board, the Chamber of Commerce, the Planning Board and the Traffic Safety Committee.

The Borough Council next meets on July 11.