EDISON – The city is making plans to convert the five former Edison Angels softball fields at the intersection of Truman Avenue and Clif Prescod Lane into three new soccer fields.
The township will seek funding through the state’s Green Acres Park Development Program for the $5.4 million project. According to a city release, a public hearing on the proposal will be held on Nov. 25 for residents to ask questions and make comments at the Edison Municipal Complex.
Earlier this year, the City Council approved a resolution to seek state funds for the project.
In addition to the three football fields, the municipality also plans to expand parking along nearby roads and build a parking lot in the southeastern part of the property.
Projected cost estimates include $3 million in turf, $400,000 in lighting, $300,000 in irrigation, $100,000 in stormwater management, along with excavation and a retaining wall. The work also includes paving, concrete work and the removal and planting of trees. The municipality plans to plant three new trees for every tree removed, according to the municipal message.
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The Angels Field property was previously owned by the U.S. Army and was home to Camp Kilmer until it was deactivated. In the 1970s, part of the Camp Kilmer property was ceded to Edison Township as part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), including the Angels Field site.
The Edison Angels Girls Fastpitch Softball League, better known as the Edison Angels, was granted permission to use the field for recreational softball and over twenty years the league expanded from one open field to five fenced fields with dugouts.
The Edison Angels have since closed and no longer use the field. That is why the church now wants to convert them.
The project requires two state permits. A New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Construction activities and a Freehold Soil Conservation District certification. According to the municipal message, applications for these permits have not yet started.
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The project is expected to be completed in one phase. The terrain is largely flat and covered with grass. Located in a light industrial area, the property is near an industrial district, a solar farm, another recreational field, a public works yard, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission office and inspection station, the United States Postal Service building, an apartment complex and a abandoned warehouse.
It is expected that construction will generate more freight traffic. In the long term, the project could potentially increase visitor traffic to the football fields when events are planned.
Written comments on the proposed application may be addressed to Cheryl Russomanno, Township Clerk, crussomanno@edisonnj.gov, 100 Municipal Boulevard, Edison NJ, 08817.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Where things stand in Edison’s plan for a new $5.4 million football complex
