Good Weather Could Delay Hillview Turf Field

The turf field at Hillview is facing delays due to the recent warm and damp weather the Borough has experienced, according to councilman Alan Lesnewich.

Currently the Borough is faced with a dilemma because by working on such soft ground caused by the weather they could ultimately cause damage that could cost more to fix then the project itself.

“It’s really incredible that because the weather is so good, we are faced with the possibility of putting off a project,” Lesnewich said.

Mayor Brooke Hern pointed out that what Lesnewich was referring to is that in order to turf they need to get heavy equipment across the field, but the grass is too soft and wet to do so.

The plan was to start the work next week, Lesnewich said, but next week’s weather report predicts rain and temperatures near 50 degrees.

He added that they have considered putting down a stone road to get the equipment across, but then they would need to sod the field, which would cost them more money.

 “So now you’ve got another problem trying to figure a good way that makes the most sense to proceed so that we can get the field done properly without destroying other aspects,” Lesnewich stated.

The original hope was that opening day would be in April, Lesnewich added, now it is looking like they will have to wait and do the work in the summer and hopefully have the kids out by the fall.

“I think we need to keep in mind as much as we want to get immediate results these are long term plans,” Hern said. “It’s going to benefit us for a lot of years and we need to do it right.”


Also discussed at the council meeting was how the 2013 budget is coming together. Council President Michael Gennaro said the finance committee met prior to the meeting and that the budget looks in pretty good shape.

The Borough has lost 12 or 13 million dollars due to tax appeals filed by mostly commercial businesses, he said.

“I’ll tell you it does hurt our budgeting effort,” Gennaro said. “Fortunately we’ve made a lot of plans in the past and we have accounts we can shift around to still remain in our cap.”

Gennaro added that within the next two or three years it’s going to make their five-year planning more difficult, but the Borough is working hard to bring increases back within the line they should be.

The council will review the budget on March 11 and they hope to introduce it on April 1, according to Gennaro.