Parking Objections Continue as Ridge Baseball Waits For Turf OK

The Bernards Township Committee recently decided to look into establishing parking restrictions along streets near the Ridge Baseball Complex off Valley Road, which neighbors say produces overflow traffic — and the president of Ridge Baseball says the organization supports that idea.

At this time, officials said, residents along Everson Place, Wedgewood Drive and Essex Place and the first 100 yards of so of Spring Valley Boulevard are being surveyed for input before the Township Committee decides whether to allow permit-only parking on those streets.

The subject could be discussed again at the next scheduled Township Committee meeting on Aug. 27, said Township Administrator Bruce McArthur.

Ridge Baseball President Greg Egnatuk said this week that the organization can't control the parking of those who are attending games, or arriving early for upcoming games. 

"We have been asking them [the township] to come up with parking by permit or limit it in some way," said Egnatuk, adding that the organization would like to clear up a continuing parking dispute with neighbors in hopes of obtaining the township's permission to install synthetic turf on the infields at the baseball complex.

Egnatuk emphasized that the Ridge Baseball Club would pay for the entire project, expected to cost between $250,000 to $300,000, through funds already saved or that would be borrowed from a bank. Although the private organization would be paying for the turf field, the township owns the property, and must give permission beforehand.

Egnatuk said he would like to see the issue of parking cleared up, so the baseball organization can move ahead to install the turf field by fall.

The Ridge Baseball Club showed up at a Township Committee meeting in January seeking permission to install the artificial turf on the infields of the four athletic fields at the baseball complex — but ended up discussing parking disputes and other concerns by neighbors.

Since then, Township Committeeman John Malay said in a report at the last Township Committee meeting, "Progress was nil."

Malay said that he and Mayor Carolyn Gaziano and he had a meeting with representatives of the Ridge Baseball League and the neighborhood last spring, and he also had corresponded with Ridge Baseball representatives several times via email. 

"The RBL seems to feel that their efforts to date to control parking on adjoining streets is adequate and that no more should be expected of them. In addition, they deny being able to provide information on the tournaments involving out- of-town teams that appear to be the worst case scenarios for neighborhood street congestion. Finally, they have refused to take measures involving car pooling or other ways to control the volume of traffic associated with game attendance, at least to my knowledge."

As for his part, Egnatuk said that baseball club representatives were at the meeting, answered all correspondence and, he feels, did try to cooperate with the township.

At the July committee meeting, some residents said that the situation is dangerous, as when cars are turning around in driveways where children are playing.

"The overflow parking from the the RBL complex has become an inconvenience and a safety issue," Malay said again on Friday.

No measures have been approved since then, however, Malay and McArthur added this week.