Soccer club seeks help in search for new land Officials tell planning board space is needed for more playing fields

Soccer club seeks help
in search for new land
Officials tell planning
board space is needed
for more playing fields

MANALAPAN — The search is on for additional playing fields for the Manalapan Soccer Club.

During a discussion with members of the Planning Board, Diane Cocheran, vice president of the soccer club, and Todd Berman, director of fund raising, sought the board’s advice regarding the possibility of locating and purchasing open space for more playing fields.

"The soccer club is willing to do a fund-raiser to purchase open space," said Planning Board Chairman Drew Shapiro, as he introduced the club’s representatives. "They want to know the best way to do it."

Cocheran told the board there are 1,800 children in the program who need more playing fields.

"We don’t have enough soccer fields to play on right now," she said. "We share fields with baseball and we (also) support the township recreation program by making contributions for fields."

The soccer club vice president also said the club supports the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education with contributions for maintenance to its fields.

"We need more guidance and support," she told the board. "We need more fields and we need to know how to go about it. What can we do as a soccer club to raise more funds to get more fields.?"

Suggestions offered by the board members included checking the town’s inventory of undeveloped land and seeing if there are any parcels which would fit the bill. Additionally, the idea of checking with the recreation commission regarding its plans for open space development was also suggested.

"This is a much more complicated process than we are analyzing," said Mayor Stuart Moskovitz. "A lot of factors come into play. There may be space at the corner of Millhurst Road and Route 33 which will be open for recreational purposes.

"If the recreation commission decides that some land on Route 522 would be a good place for the soccer fields, that’s where it’s going to go. Nobody but the recreation commission is likely to make that decision, but they have to deal with land that they don’t have yet," the mayor said.

Another suggestion offered by the board was for the soccer club representatives to look for land on their own and then determine if a purchase could be financed with the help of the township.

Responding to that suggestion Moskovitz noted, "It’s not so simple. The recreation commission is designated by law as being in control. If the soccer club wants to buy land, maintain it and pay for it, fine. But if you’re asking the township to pay for it because it’s a recreational facility, you may well run into a problem because the recreation commission has to be involved. You can’t take township money for recreational purposes and keep the recreation field."

The mayor said what is really being sought by the club is for the township to buy land, put the soccer fields there and then, by agreement, allow the club to use of the fields.

Board members said the best way for the soccer club to provide additional fields would be to buy land and avoid bureaucratic issues.

Moskovitz also suggested the possibility to follow a similar procedure that has been taken by a local Pop Warner youth football league.

"It’s township property managed by the recreation commission and a lease was worked out. Pop Warner is going to build what has to be built and they’re going to have not exclusive use, but primary use of it. That is a great deal for everybody. That may be something the soccer club wants to think about," said the mayor. "It is conceivable that a piece of land can be picked up somewhere."

Berman, of the soccer club, said the club is looking for 10 to 15 acres.

Other suggestions offered were to contact the Freehold Regional High School District ad hoc land committee which is searching for a location for a future school.

Moskovitz, who sits on that group, said the panel has a list of undeveloped parcels which are listed together with their assessed values and other information. If that list is available, he said, the soccer club may get an idea of what land is available and where it is available.