Cedar Grove Moves Ahead on Panther Park

The Cedar Grove Township Council unanimously agreed to move ahead with the design phase for a redeveloped multipurpose sports field during its Monday night meeting.

The council approved plans to award money for Panther Park — a lighted football, soccer and lacrosse field with stands, a walking and running track and concession stands and bathrooms, according to Cedar Grove Councilman Joseph Chiusolo.

“We are going to be awarding a contract for about $38,000 for the design phase for the completion of the park,” Chiusolo said.

The council began discussions on the project back in March and revisited redevelopment at its Sept. 17 meeting. In March, the township received three proposals from different firms and initially set aside money for a design in the 2012 capital budget. The money was cut back and eventually removed, said Township Manager Thomas Tucci.

“The projected cost for the project is $1.8 million which means about a $27 tax increase per household,” Chiusolo said.

In other action, the council:

• Critiqued Hurricane Sandy with officials from the office of emergency management, police chief, fire chief, mayor and township manager.

“They discussed big issues that really dealt with the storm and how to better handle certain things,” said Chiusolo.

One of the main issues, he said, was the need for generators at North and South End Fire Houses for emergency heating station, cooling station or shelter. The council will look to appropriate funds for the generators in the next budget, said Chiusolo.

“The council will also appropriate a small stipend for the library director who will be used as a point person for our township website to do updates throughout the year and post important information during emergencies,” he said.