Open Space Referendum on Nov. 8 Ballot

The residents within New Providence will be asked to vote on a non-binding referendum on whether to expand the use by which Municipal Open Space funds can be spent in the future. 

The question before the voters is:

“Shall the Borough Council of the Borough of New Providence amend the Open Space Ordinance (§70-1) to allow the existing fund and future funds to be used for acquisition of open space and improvements to passive and active recreation facilities?”

Explanatory Statement

The non-binding public question herein proposes expansion of the permitted use of the funds collected in accordance with the Open Space Ordinance (§70-1). In addition to acquisition of open space, improvement to and maintenance of both passive and active recreation facilities, which may include athletic fields, parks, playgrounds, and other similar or related improvements, would be a permitted use of said funds.

In order to understand what is at stake, some background information is needed to frame the issue.   Back in 2004, New Providence voters approved a 1-cent Open Space tax limited to the acquisition of open space throughout the Borough.  Since then the Borough has acquired just one parcel of land, which is the wooded lot next to Veteran’s Park.  

The Borough of New Providence consists of 12,000 residents living within 3.6 square miles in northwest Union County.  It doesn’t take Magellan to come to the conclusion that within these 3.6 square miles, there just isn’t a lot of open space acquisition opportunity out there to consider.  Since 2004, outside of the parcel adjacent to Veteran’s Park, the Open Space Tax has not been utilized and in fact, the 1-cent was reduced to ¼ cent in order to address budget constraints a few years ago.  According to estimates, the fund currently has an accrued balance of $650,000 and grows at a rate of $38,000/year with annual deposits.

In 2008, a non-binding referendum asked voters to consider using the Open Space fund to make repairs and renovations to recreational facilities, but it did not pass.   In hindsight, many believe the wording of the referendum itself was difficult to understand.  Others suggest that there was just not enough information shared to understand and promote the issue itself.

A public forum will be held on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. to facilitate dialogue while allowing residents to have their questions answered by an expert panel consisting of Borough Attorney Carl Woodward, Councilman Alan Lesnewich and former Recreation Master Plan Chair, Arlene Regan.  Questions will be posed by moderators Paul Jeffrey, former Chairman of the Open Space Committee, and Kevin Carroll, former Chairman of the Community Activities & Advisory Board.  The forum will be broadcast locally on NP-TV with the information gathered and shared as an FAQ document, which will be posted to the Borough’s website.  As with any public referendum, it’s essential for voters to be part of the process of determining our community’s future by getting facts and making an informed decision at the polls.  Questions can be submitted at the time of the forum, or using the link below: 

http://www.egovlink.com/newprovidence/news/news_info.asp?id=3198

As many of you have seen throughout New Providence and especially those of you familiar with the Recreation Master Plan (RMP) for the Borough, we need to do something with respect to making some basic improvements to our recreation fields and facility infrastructure.  The RMP merely consists of recommendations to address overutilization and degrading field conditions Borough-wide. It did not come with a budget from which to implement them.  

It is important to note that this decision on Nov. 8 is not about whether to use the Open Space funds to install an artificial turf field somewhere within our community.  If the public approves this referendum in November, it may be possible for the Borough Council to develop plans and make decisions to assess the deteriorating facility conditions within the current inventory and possibly make simple improvements to them where warranted. 

To me, basic and simple improvements are needed throughout the field inventory of New Providence to improve the facilities that are in place.  These could include the installation of drainage and irrigation systems, modifying field orientation, pitch or layout, or to add lavatory or plumbing where it doesn’t currently exist.   Many experts believe that by making basic and simple improvements, we could improve the existing playing surfaces as part of a rest, renovate and repair program while we contemplate and determine long term strategy.  Having an operating budget would allow the Borough to consider and implement such an approach.  Without a funding source, plans and ideas remain on the drawing board and within recommendation binders on the shelves of Borough Hall.

It is important to note that the decision on Nov. 8 is not to raise your taxes to make renovations to our existing facilities.  The Municipal Open Space tax has been in place since 2004 and it is contained within the current tax levy.  The decision on Nov. 8 is to decide whether to expand the purpose or potential use of the accrued and future funds to make improvements to the Borough’s existing passive and active recreational facilities in addition to the potential acquisition of open space.  In my mind, there just aren’t many parcels of available land to contemplate acquisition now or perhaps in the future.  In the meantime, there are many needs the Borough could address within what we have in place today.  

The Mayor and Council are completely and unequivocally in agreement that this is a smart decision and path to take.   My message to the voters is clear and simple; ask questions and get the facts, but also to go to the polls and vote “YES” to support the Open Space Referendum question.  As in the recent film featuring New Providence… this is a “Win-Win” for our community and a smart way to make some progress to support recreation and athletics.

For more information about the Recreation Master Plan and our current field and facility conditions, visit www.newprovpartners.com.

Please send in your questions, get the facts, and vote on Nov. 8 to support the open space referendum. Remember, to do nothing is not an option!