Expenses for hoop courts do not make sense
Recently the Jackson mayor and Township Council awarded a bid of $449,000 to build two basketball courts in Johnson Park. They only received one bid for the job. After reviewing the specs and the bid on this project I have come to the conclusion that the mayor and council think that the taxpayers of Jackson are idiots.

The most disturbing aspect of this project is the cost to demolish the existing site.

According to the official bid for this project the demolition of the site in Johnson Park will cost taxpayers $69,500. The site is to the right and adjacent to the existing tennis courts.

Anyone who has been out to Johnson Park knows there is nothing but grass on that site. There are absolutely no existing structures.

When I confronted the council members as to why taxpayers are paying over $69,500 for site demolition when there is nothing on the site, they answered that the cost is to grade and prepare the site for the two basketball courts.

OK, sounds good, except that line two on their spec sheet for this project is the cost to prepare the site for construction of the courts and that cost is almost $30,000. So all together just to prepare a vacant piece of property that is already flat and cleared to put two basketball courts on will cost us taxpayers over $100,000!

Unfortunately the ridiculousness of this project does not stop there.

Johnson Park has a tradition of closing at dusk. Under the contract to build the basketball courts there is a line item for lighting to light up the basketball courts at a cost to taxpayers of $185,000.

Not only is this an extraordinary amount of money, but the very fact that these lights will be installed clearly means the mayor and council plan on keeping these courts open until late into the evening.

Johnson Park is surrounded by three separate adult communities (Westlake, Westlake North and Westlake Mews). Placing lighting on these courts will invite the potential of kids hanging out in Johnson Park until late into the evening with lighting glaring out into these communities.

The lighting of these courts will also increase the potential for vandalism and many calls to our police department.

Sadly enough the residents surrounding this park were never even notified that the town will be installing huge spotlights virtually in their back yards.

There are many very disturbing costs connected to the construction of this project to build two basketball courts. Why do we need to put a fence around them that will cost us taxpayers over $22,000 as well as eight benches to sit on at a cost of $700 each? Even the basketball nets with the stands will cost over $6,500 apiece.

It is sad that the mayor and council have accepted and approved the one single bid for this project apparently without ever questioning why we are paying over $100,000 to demolish and prepare a site that has nothing on it.

It is also a slap in the face to the residents that live around Johnson Park that the mayor and council never even notified them that their very right to quiet enjoyment of their property may very well be coming to an end.

The town should have rejected the single bid and approached some of the businesses like Great Adventure, Commerce Bank, ShopRite, McDonald's, etc., that do work in or for Jackson to see if any one of them would like to have built a basketball court for the kids of Jackson. In return, the town could have placed a nice plaque at the site honoring that business or businesses for their contribution to the town.

As a parent of three boys who all love basketball, I look forward to having basketball courts in our parks for the kids, but clearly this project is as bad as the Pentagon purchasing $700 hammers some years back.

Remember that your elected officials work for you and if you do not agree with this or any other decisions they make, you can and should make your voice heard.

Michael J. Kafton

Jackson