Football parents peeved
at practice field problems
Pop Warner wants
town to address
current situation
By cindy tietjen
Staff Writer

At times, Monday’s Township Committee meeting in Jackson resembled a Pop Warner football game with adults yelling and applauding and children screaming.

Only this time, even though both sides play for the home team, there was no winner.

Parents, friends and representatives joined a number of children from the local youth football organization to express their disappointment in township officials and their dismay over what they claim is an inadequate number of fields on which to practice.

Pop Warner President Donald J. Murphy came to the meeting with a packet of papers that he handed out to the members of the governing body and to the audience. The packet contained a letter addressed to Pop Warner parents that criticized the committee members for going back on a promise league officers said they had made.

"As most of you are aware, testing of soil has been performed at Johnson Park. The Jackson Pop Warner Organi-zation feels that these tests are not conclusive and a health risk to our children is still a questionable issue," said the letter, which was signed by Murphy. "Our organization decided back in February that we were no longer interested in using Johnson Park as our practice facility and we expressed our feelings and decisions to the mayor and Township Committee."

The letter goes on to state that the committee signed permits for Pop Warner to use the all-purpose fields at the municipal Justice Complex for its practice sessions.

"We felt this was a great solution. The Township Com-mittee then issued us permits that we are still in possession of," according to the letter. "Unfortunately, at our last meeting with the township, the mayor and committeemen have gone back on their word and revoked the permits due to pressure from another organization."

Murphy did not name the other organization or say why township officials revoked the permits.

When Committeeman Michael Kafton said one reason why the Pop Warner teams were not allowed to use the all-purpose field was because "we don’t want to see it messed up," the audience members erupted into shouts and booed Kafton so the rest of his response could not be heard.

Mayor Michael Broderick called for order several times before the crowd quieted down.

"After the committee decided that the all-purpose field was not the right place, didn’t we give you the use of the Knights of Columbus field?" Kafton asked Murphy.

"Yes, you said we could have the Knights of Columbus field, but you also said that we could have the all-purpose field, so which one should I believe?" Murphy responded.

Many residents came to the microphone to express the same theme: each parent of a Pop Warner child pays taxes and therefore has the right to have adequate fields for their organization.

Committee members said they believed they had given the organization plenty of space — the use of four fields in town — at the Holman school; at Jackson Memorial High School; at the Knights of Columbus field; and on all common areas at the Justice Complex for Pop Warner’s practice sessions.

Parents were not happy with that arrangement and said the fields are too far apart.

"Many of the parents here have two or three children involved in Pop Warner," said Peggy Dellamura, of Murray Drive. "What do you suggest we do? Leave one child alone at practice while we take the other to another field? What if one of the children gets injured while a parent is on route to another field all the way across town?

"I would be horrified if my child was hurt and I was not there," Dellamura said. "I think it is ridiculous to ask parents to travel to four different fields."

All of the people who commented agreed there was only one solution: let the Pop Warner league have the use of the all-purpose fields at the Justice Complex.

"The all-purpose field is large enough to have all of the kids practice there, including the cheerleaders," said Tony Bozich, of West Veterans Highway. "We are asking you for one year until we can get another piece of land. One year. That’s it."

At various times during the meeting the committee members and the Pop Warner representatives referred to a parcel of land that the township would lease for Pop Warner. The location of the field was not mentioned, nor was the date when the field would be leased, or the price.

After almost two hours of public comments, Broderick attempted to close the hearing, much to the dismay of the people who were still lined up at the microphone.

Many audience members shouted to the committee that they wanted a chance to speak and said that nothing had been resolved.

Nonetheless, Broderick and the other committee members proceeded with the vote to close the public hearing.

Kafton asked Murphy if he would agree to a meeting to discuss the issue and the Pop Warner president agreed to do that at an undisclosed time next week.