Message from Councilman Matt Adams | July 14, 2022

Dreaming Big on Parks, Recreation, and Youth Sports Facilities in Scotch Plains

It is an incredibly exciting time for parks, recreation, and youth sports facilities in Scotch Plains. The Council has vowed that it plans to dramatically remake recreation in Scotch Plains. Working with our partners on the Recreation Commission, Township Administration, and the professional leadership of our Recreation Director and her staff, we are keeping our promise.  We are dreaming big, and just getting started.

Remaking our parks is a high priority, bringing to life the years-long planning of the Recreation Commission that culminated with the unveiling of the comprehensive Scotch Plains Recreation Master Plan last year.  Residents have made it clear that our recreation facilities need wholesale overhauls after years of decay.  They have also expressed that we have a shortage of such facilities, as compared to neighboring towns, and above all else, we need to keep these facilities accessible and inclusive to all. 

We Started with Southside Field and Set Our Goals High

Last summer, the Council appropriated funds for the long-needed resurfacing of Southside Field, located at 1910 Raritan Road – a facility used by thousands of young people from our community. 

While capital budgets are typically set earlier in the year, the Council took the decisive step to pass a capital ordinance, mid-year and outside of the ordinary budgetary process, to benefit community members using the field, often from dawn to well past dusk, because there was a significant need and a window of opportunity to act.

Just in time for the 2021 Fall sports season, Southside Field was resurfaced with state-of-the-art new turf.  The transformation was dramatic and immediate from the worn-out and dated playing surface. Best of all for taxpayers, the municipality partnered with a private organization – the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Soccer Club (SPFSC) under a memorandum of understanding negotiated by the Township– to pay for this dramatic upgrade. 

The Next Phase of Improvements

When I last updated the community on our progress earlier this year, the Council had just adopted a 2022 budget that included $1.3 million in projects focusing on Green Forest Park, Greenside Playground, and Brookside Park.  The Township has made great progress.  There are now large signs up at each park with QR codes that residents can scan with their mobile devices to keep up to date on the latest concerning facility improvements. Check back frequently, updates will be available at every stage once plans are official.

Green Forest Park

Green Forest Park, located at 554 Westfield Road on the Northside of town, has historically been home to a modest playground, a picnic area, a small multi-use indoor structure, and a set of dilapidated tennis courts.  Walking distance from multiple schools, and central to some of our town’s most vibrant and family-friendly residential neighborhoods, Green Forest’s prime location makes it a priority for immediate rehabilitation.

In June, the Recreation Commission unanimously recommended upgrades to Green Forest that will transform the rusted chain link fencing, tattered nets, and cracked concrete of the current tennis courts into a brand-new multi-use roller hockey, basketball, and futsal (hard court soccer) court.  There will also be a number of highly coveted pickleball courts added to the facility to capture the significant demand for the sport. 

Engineering plans are now underway, and construction could begin as early as this Fall. Future plans for Green Forest Park under the Recreation Master Plan include additional amenities like a splash pad and enhanced picnic facilities.

Greenside Playground

Greenside Playground, a favorite of the youngest Scotch Plains residents located at 355 Westfield Road, also on the Northside of town, received new equipment upgrades in 2019 under a county grant. However, the outdated rubber mulch playing surface needs replacement and the configuration of the playground cries out for a more immersive experience with additional accessible, imaginative equipment. On a hot, sunny day, there is also no shade at Greenside, as presently configured.

So, the Township is re-thinking the whole place.  You will see the entire facility deconstructed in the coming months to make way for a new safety surface, new fencing to keep the little ones secure and additional, accessible playground attractions to support the new equipment already added 2019.  We are now working with an industry-leading playground contractor and engineering firm to remake the playground.  Conceptual drawings will be released shortly for the public’s review online.  We are taking Greenside Playground “down to the studs,” and reinventing it.

Brookside Park

Brookside Park, 1255 Hetfield Avenue, on the Township’s Southside, is home to a versatile, but under-used ball field, among many other amenities like a nature trail, pond, playground, picnic area, and tennis/ basketball courts.  With ample parking and a picturesque, tree-lined landscape, Brookside has long been a crown jewel of our parks.  However, drainage issues after even a light rain and the inability to play after dark have presented practical limitations to the usage of the ball field at the park. 

There is now a proposed plan bringing lights to the ball field.  Drainage and an enhanced playing surface options must also be considered soon.  An engineering study is underway to ensure that the lights are installed in locations that ensure maximum flexibility for future field improvements.  Discussions are underway now, in advance of next year’ s budget process, about possible additional field improvements.

In fact, the Recreation Commission’s open public meeting on July 11 was held at Brookside Park to discuss these ideas.  Of course, as plans are finalized, the Township will continue to keep residents updated and continued resident input is welcomed.

Looking Ahead

We cannot remake our parks in Scotch Plains overnight; it is going to take creative approaches to maximize space limitations.  Unlike many communities, we do not have one central facility to serve all our recreation needs in one place.  Furthermore, the Township does not control the large field areas at Terrill and Nettingham Middle Schools – those are Board of Education properties.  However, we do have a collection of wonderful parks that, with equal parts imagination and sound budgetary planning, can all be turned into gems.

We are also eagerly awaiting field improvements at the county’s vocational-technical high school campus on Raritan Road, where the Union County Board of Commissioners is undertaking an engineering study as a critical first step.

I am very proud of the resident volunteers on our Recreation Commission for their dedication and stewardship of the parks and recreation facilities in our town.  I am equally proud of the professional leadership of the Scotch Plains Recreation Department, now fully staffed once again after the hiring of a new Assistant Recreation Director last month.  Together, we are moving our community forward, one step at a time.