Ridgewood schools search for 'alternative playing spaces' as flooded fields await repairs
RIDGEWOOD — The village school district is looking for "alternative playing spaces" for its athletes as it faces an uncertain timeline for flood repairs to its stadium and Stevens Field, west of the high school, officials said Wednesday.
A notice signed "Ridgewood Public Schools" acknowledges that teams are eager to set up spring schedules, but it says the three vendors being consulted on the cleanup are saying the estimated two-week operation should be delayed until March at the earliest.
"Even waiting until the March 14, 2024, date does not guarantee that March, April or even May weather patterns will not once again affect our fields and playing areas," the statement says. "For this reason, we have looked into alternative playing spaces for our athletes."
The school board has contacted the village recreation program and 12 nearby towns, "looking for opportunities within their schedules to use their fields if necessary."
School groups that use the turf fields in spring include boys' and girls' lacrosse, girls' flag football and the marching band, said Public Information Officer Christine Corliss. Other groups that use the fields include the recreation program, the Community School, travel teams and "a few adult recreation teams hoping to find time on any of our fields," she said.
Track and field athletes, the statement says, use the Benjamin Franklin Middle School field, a mile north of the high school. Its grass field has "no netting, no lighting and a non-regulation size."
No mention was made of concern for a flood that might affect the location of the school's iconic outdoor graduation ceremony, held on Stadium Field each June.
The Stadium and Stevens fields are among only three in the village with artificial turf, which historically has a quicker drying time and better multiple-game endurance than grass fields. The two fields are also among only four in the village with lights for evening games and practice.
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The scarcity of turf fields became a consideration in the Village Council's controversial approval of a multipurpose turf field on the historic Schedler property last September. That decision may have been undermined by a December 2023 soil testing order from the state Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP noted that the undocumented soils taken to the Schedler site "may not be suitable base material for the artificial turf."
Multiple floods
A school and village task force was created, and it discussed the issue after the fields were flooded by Hurricane Henri in August and Hurricane Ida in September 2021.
The cost of the 2021 damage was estimated at $260,000, of which $160,000 was covered by insurance. However, the fields also had to be disinfected and pass impact, or Gmax, tests to verify their shock-absorption capabilities before they could be used. In 2021, football games were moved to an indoor sports complex in Waldwick.
The latest damage was sustained during a record December rainfall. Mathieu Gerbush of Rutgers University, assistant state climatologist, said Ridgewood got the most in Bergen County, with 2.99 inches of rain from one storm alone.
"The volume of rain during these events is the primary reason for increased flooding," Village Manager Keith Kazmark said Wednesday. "Four inches in a storm, on top of saturated ground, will create flooding."
Kazmark said the village is in the process of clearing trees and debris from the waterways.
"We have sent an engagement letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asking for them to intervene and help with a long-term flood mitigation plan here in Ridgewood," Kazmark said.
Ridgewood is the largest school disrict in Bergen County with 5,619 students in 10 schools.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ridgewood NJ schools need playing spaces due to flooded fields
