Mayor Devanney Clarifies CMS Field Discussion Between Rec Department and BOE

We will be posting about the BOE Agenda later today but I wanted to share this update.

I received clarification from Mayor Devanney regarding the CMS/BOE Field discussions in response to an email I sent the Town Council and BOE surrounding the process on this issue.

2023 Candidates for both bodies were cc’d on the email.  This article will be updated if and when more responses are received.

From Mayor Devanney:

John,

 

This issue has not been discussed at a Town Council meeting. My understanding is that the Rec Commission was trying to gage interest of the BOE before making a formal proposal to anybody. Additionally, the Commission has substantial funds to develop the land and there is a unmet need for more overall recreation space. It seems like a positive project to consider.

 

There are many unresolved issue to discuss between both bodies which include 1) if the Council would like to move forward with the concept; there has been no formal discussion among the 6 Council members and me 2) contact negotiations; if both entities do agree to try to move forward, many issues such as liability, capital improvements, maintenance, etc must be agreed upon—all of which are not easily solvable issues and may result in a stalemate) 3) and absolutely, a formal presentation when all of the above is completed so the public know exactly what is being proposed and how their tax dollars are being spent.

 

As the Mayor, from my perspective, we do have a recreation crisis and with the county taking over the county-owned fields, I am concerned that the shortage in passive and active recreational space will be exacerbated. The most common meeting that I take and listen to are coaches and parents from local sports teams asking for assistance. Additionally with nearly 1,000 new units being bult, we must provide recreation services for new and old residents such as more areas to walk or, perhaps, expanding the growing Pickleball area if needed.

 

Finally, my understanding is that the Finance Committee rejected the original proposal. At this point, I am unsure if a public presentation would be an exercise in futility. What I do know is there is a serious need.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Best,
Angie

I also received the following response from BOE Candidate Sai Akiri:

Thank you John for sharing your thoughts on this.

 

I believe this is a proposal from the Berkeley Heights Recreation Commission. See attached July 18, 2023, Finance and Facilities Committee Minutes excerpt.

 

The BH Recreation Commission presented a proposal regarding installing a turf field at Lower Columbia. Theproposed plan would require either a lease agreement with the Board of Education or a donation of land by the Board to the town.

 

Per the finance and facilities committee minutes from July 18, 2023 at 6:00PM

 

 CMS Turf Field

• Ms. Varnerin and Ms. George from the Berkeley Heights Recreation Commission presented a proposal regarding the installation of a turf field at lower Columbia. The proposed plan would require either a lease agreement with the Board of Education or a donation of land by the Board to the town.
• Mrs. Penna responded that the proposal would be presented to the full board for discussion.

• Mr. Cianculli expressed concern that the prior Board had already decided not to transfer the land to the town and asked what had changed that the request was being made again.
• Ms. Varnerin and Ms. George left the meeting at approx. 6:45pm.

As I have indicated earlier on Berkeley Heights Community Watch there are multiple concerns with a proposal like this:

 

“Per Laura Kapuscinski’s article on August 29, The Turf Field at CMS was discussed but would need to include a land lease from the BOE to the Township. We don’t know why the Recreation Committee expects the School District to give away what is a valuable piece of land to the Town for free. With all the Affordable Housing units and Pilots agreed upon by the Town and a Budget that can be described as a mess, this is not the time for the District to give things away. We have many new students coming into our schools from developments that are not required to pay taxes to the school. Also, we wonder whether giving the Turf field to the town opens up its use to pretty much anyone and the implications this might have for the district’s athletics programs. These are questions the public would be able to ask if these important discussions occurred out in the open instead of behind closed doors.” See attached article https://bhcommunitywatch.com/…/berkeley-heights-boe…/

 

Unsure as to why both the governing bodies need to discuss the acquisition of public land in private sessions and NOT at the town council meeting or a public board meeting?

 

Per my understanding, the Berkeley Heights Board of Education ground staff maintains this piece of land in the lower Columbia field. One of my biggest concerns with any proposed land lease agreement or transfer of public land from schools to the township is accessibility for athletics programs. I believe once a land lease or transfer is approved the scheduling of events is taken over by BH Recreation Commission from BH Public Schools.

 

I am still researching and can add to the discussion on this proposal if it’s still on for consideration.

 

As every elected representative, our township council, and board of education members have a fiduciary responsibility to the constituents of our community. Our community expects the board and town council to do the due diligence, deliberate publicly, and then vote on any proposals for the acquisition/transfer of public land.

 

Per the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and local board policy, the BOE committees cannot make any decisions on behalf of the board. They are just advisory committees and no decisions can be made in closed door committee meetings.

 

On a separate note I am not sure if the township committee meetings are recorded and made available to the public (you might want to check on this). The public used to have access to township committee meetings until 2017 I believe and then they were closed. But I like your idea of recording them, as many public entities allow the community to listen in on their deliberations via teleconference (Webex or Microsoft Teams). Some even have committee meetings in public.

Thank you,

Sai Bhargavi

And lastly, Town Councilwoman Susan Poage

Mr. Migues,

Thank you for your input and your interest in making our town better.

Susan Poage

John,

 

Just as the Mayor indicated in her email to Berkeley Heights Community Watch, no formal proposal has been presented to the Board of Education.  However, if and when the Board of Education receives a formal proposal, it will certainly be considered and the Board of Education can enter into negotiations at that time.

 

Thank you.