Shunpike Field Open, But Controversy Continues

Shunpike Field may be open, and neighbors continue to ask the Chatham Township Committee to address their concerns over the lights, parking and access to Sunset Lake.

Neighbors, most of whom live on Lake Road, voiced their concerns to the township committee during its meeting Thursday evening. The turf portion of the field officially opened on June 18 and has already hosted several games, including the night of June 22, which necessitated the use of the highly controversial lights.

The lights are allowed to remain on until 10 p.m. when there are night games, with the stipulation that they will be off by 10:30. Neighbors have complained that the hour is too late for lights of that magnitude to be on in the neighborhood. Township Administrator Tom Ciccarone, who also lives in the area, has said the lights will shine on the field and the complex, not out into surrounding homes, and that anyone standing in their backyard at night will not be standing in lights from the field.

“We are looking at the procedures and policies for turning the lights off and on,” Mayor Nicole Hagner said at Thursday’s meeting. “We will be able to operate them remotely, but we did want to at least test them.”

She added that Township Attorney Carl Woodward has sent a notice to the contractor that the remainder of the project is to be completed by July 8.

Hagner said when the turf portion of the field opened for play, the township made sure residents, coaches and teams were all aware that the parking lot was open and usable. Area residents have complained that field users may park on the streets, although Ciccarone has previously cautioned neighbors that the streets are public and people can park there.

Committee Member Robert Gallop said the Shunpike complex is “phenomenal” and that the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.

Hagner said the committee has received some signatures from residents of Lake Drive requesting that the township install a fence between the field and their property, which is divided by woods. Neighbors  maintain that it is too easy for children to wander through the woods to the lake, which is an invasion of their privacy and a safety concern for the children. Neighbors have also complained about young boys urinating on the footpaths and in the woods, although there are restrooms in the sports complex.

Committee Member Bailey Brower Jr. said he has met with residents of the area, and not all agree on the measures that should be taken. He said they did agree to put up a sign that Crestwood Drive, as it comes into Williams Road, is restricted.

Lake Road resident Ruth Macpherson said neighbors want the lights turned off by 9:00, with a possible extension to 9:30 when necessary.

“These are young kids,” she said. “They don’t need to be out until 10 or 10:30.”

Macpherson also said neighbors want a six-foot tall fence “to keep children on the field and away from our lake.”

“This is a large safety issue for us,” she said. “And we do not want parents parking on our streets, which are a lot closer to the bleachers than the parking lot.”

Neighbor Rinna Lin agreed that the complex is phenomenal, but said her previously voiced concerns over kids leaving the field have already come to pass.

“Two hours after the field was opened, I saw a kid walk through the woods to the lake,” she said. “At the game last Sunday night, they were using air horns. Is that really necessary? We were trying to have a Father’s Day dinner out on our patio and we had to listen to air horns. Then on Monday, two boys in baseball uniforms were urinating on the path, and the next day two more boys were seen doing the same thing. Please respect the neighborhood.”

Hagner said the township is continually reminding coaches of what the kids should and shouldn’t be doing on the field. Township Committee member Kevin Tubbs is the liaison to the recreational advisory committee, and Hagner said he will bring the issue to the committee.

Lin also said that the night the lights were in use, they went off at exactly 10:30 and there was no one on the field.

“It was our first night to use the lights,” Hagner said. “We’re still testing them.”

Neighbor Mary Ann Fasano also complained about the lights, specifically the ground lights, which she said she can easily see from her dining room and her TV room.

“We are asking for a fence to afford us our privacy,” she said.

Lin questioned Hagner’s earlier statement that the township was giving the contractor a July 8 deadline to finish the project. She asked if the contractor was going to be paid on that date, and if that meant there would be no money left for the fence the neighbors are requesting. Woodward said the final bill will not be paid by that date, but Brower told Lin that the cost for any fencing is not included in the budget and would be extra.

Hagner said township officials will be meeting with neighbors and walking through the area to better understand what they feel is needed.