Sports
Turf Field at Shunpike Opens for Play
The grand opening was postponed to the fall, but athletes can now use the turf fields.
The new turf fields at opened for play on Saturday, and parents remarked on the noted improvements.
“I grew up in Chatham and played on these fields as a kid,” said Martin Williams, a Chatham Township resident and father of four who moved back to the area in the last couple of years. Williams was at the field to watch his son, Kevin, play baseball with his recreational team.
“So far, it looks really beautiful, and I expect when they get the other two fields in it will be really nice as well,” he said.
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The multi-million dollar project was contracted out in spring 2010 and was originally expected to be finished in time for the spring 2011 sports season.
“It didn’t happen as quickly as we all had hoped,” said Paul Ivans, president of the Chatham Athletic Foundation (CAF). He cited the harsh snowy winter and rainy spring as key reasons for the delayed opening.
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The project was originally initiated by the Chatham Township Committee, and the Chatham Borough Council and CAF also helped pay for the turf fields and lighting.
The turf field that opened for play on Saturday is a “copy of Lum,” Ivans said. It can accommodate two baseball games or two small-sided soccer games.
The grass fields are lined for two baseball fields or a large-sided soccer field.
To raise money for the project, CAF sold bricks, benches and bleachers, which will be installed over the summer. The fundraising project took place over six months and resulted in more than $250,000 raised.
The Farm in Green Village has also agreed to donate a statue for the courtyard of Shunpike Field.
“The kids are going to get so much more use out of the fields,” said Ivans, who said the fields had water issues and were often closed in past years. The new fields required regrading and drainage to augment their performance.
“It’s going to be a showpiece complex in the state,” Ivans said. “I would like to thank the entire community for helping to make this project a reality.”
The official ribbon cutting ceremony will take place in early September, but the remainder of the complex is expected to be complete in the next few weeks. The grass fields must sit for a full year before they are ready for play. In the meantime, the turf fields are open and the courtyard will soon be installed.
