Veteran's Park Renovations Nearly Complete

Hopatcong students will have a newly completed field to play on starting next spring.

The Department of Public Works has been working to renovate the fields at Veteran's Park since last spring, and while many of the improvements are complete, the borough is aiming to be done by this spring season.

"It's going to give us a beautiful home field thats completely done with beautiful stadium lights and professional lighting," Mayor Sylvia Petillo said. "It will just be a showcase for the town."

The DPW recently shifted the softball field 180 degrees, added new outfield bleacher seats, backstops and dugouts, and converted it to a multi-purpose field. The field is currently being used for girls soccer and softball.

DPW Superintendent Ron Jobless said workers also added new lighting to the stadium so now the games will be able to played both during the day and at night.

New pavement was also placed around the field, which Jobless said makes it more accessible for families with strollers.

"The old field had poor drainage," Jobless said. "It would flood and it would stay wet, and they would lose half the season."

The only things left to be added in the field are a new concession stand and several amenties, such as roofs on the dugouts. Jobless said those additions will come soon.

Petillo said the redevelopment project cost more than $200,000, all of which was funded through the Open Space/Recreation Fund, which is dedicated just for open space and capital projects.

The referendum for the funds for this project was voted on several years ago, Petillo said.

In addition to the field work, Petillo said there will be seven 16-foot street lamps added by the spring to the side of Veteran's Memorial across from the parking lot.

"It will be beautiful when it's done," Petillo said.