20231107 - Fields Committee Minutes

Ridgewood Fields Committee Minutes

November 7, 2023 – 7:00 am via ZOOM

Attendees: K. Cook, N. Bigos, M. Andreula, S. Winograd, S. Gross, H. Kwak, R. Brooks, E. Seavers, 

G. D’Andrea, E. Sudol,

Z. Pace, P. Thomas, C. Aderhold, S. Muller, C. Herndon, P. Coopersmith, S. Penava, M. Schwartz, M. 

Kelly, R. Lasky, A. Mamudi, M. Lembo, J. Gluck, M. Hefferan

I.              Approval of Minutes – October 3, 2023

Approved by all

II.               Public Comment

B. Sachs-Thanked K. Cook and the High School leadership for their assistance in stopping the air 

horn.

K. Cook- During the girls sectional final at Stevens Field, air horns are not permitted, we 

attempted to track down the actor but were unsuccessful.

III.               Turf Field Remediation

K. Cook- Sport Care has cleared off the Stadium Field and passed the Gmax testing. Stevens Field 

was cleared and passed the Gmax testing; the non-playing southern end of Stevens still has silt 

that needs to be removed once that is complete payment will be issued.

N. Bigos- Land Tek performed the work at Maple Park and passed Gmax testing. The expense for this 

remediation was covered through our insurance policy.

IV.               2023 Fall Field Schedule

K. Cook-The Fall Season is wrapping up and there are no changes at the HS level for field use. Jr. 

Football still has teams going to playoffs. Ridgewood Soccer and Maroons Soccer have about two 

weeks left in their schedule.

V.               Field Policy Revision/Review

K. Cook-Sub-committee has not been able to meet since the flood.

R. Brooks- We plan to meet and have something in draft form to present to the governing body by 

mid- December.

N. Bigos-Will reach out to subcommittee to get a date and time to meet.

VI.               Master Library BOE

K. Cook-Groups are making use of Master Library. Gabby has done a fantastic job of setting up 

tutorials on how to set up accounts and use the system. Will be working with the vendor to make the 

program more user friendly. Will need a full buy in from all groups needing field time.

G. D’Andrea-Master Library is running smoothly as long as the rules are followed and required 

documentation is submitted, there will be no delay in approval. For clinics that are up coming, the 

flier has to be first approved by the superintendent and then they must add it to Master Library 

for approval. Email requests should be sent to Keith, Eliza and myself to figure out which party 

needs to address the request.

VOR

N. Bigos-Will be contacting the sports groups and work with them to become compliant with the new 

software.

VII.              Schedler Property

S. Winograd-Nothing new to report

VIII.              New Business

K. Cook- Would like to get a comprehensive view on the active population in our community and the 

allocation for of field time needed and resources available. This information will help knowing the 

maintenance needs of our fields. Would like all groups to submit registration numbers by grade 

level, current practice allotment times and locations, and in season game schedules. Having this 

information will give an overview of the needs of our programs and adequately use our facilities.

E. Seavers-Send an email to all groups and request the name and contact information for the person 

that will be responsible for reporting this information. This information will be helpful to 

support the need for additional outdoor space and improvements to existing space.

K. Cook- Any maintenance, field repair needs at elementary schools be reported so they can be 

addressed by maintenance this winter.

H. Kwak-There have been staffing changes at Aramark and their issues are being handled. The BOE has 

a

subcommittee that handles maintenance issues.

R. Brooks-Discussed the issues that plague maintenance crews. In particular the inconsistent use of 

elementary school fields and the difficulty in accessing the fields to maintain/line the fields for 

after school sport groups. Proposed change in scheduled work hours for crews to alleviate this 

issue.

M. Andreula-Asked to consider that a block of time be allocated for field maintenance. Weather 

conditions can inhibit the ability to maintain fields within a specific period.

K. Cook-There has been significant staff turnover in maintenance, both work force and management. 

We are working on finding a way to have a balanced approach between maintenance of HS and 

elementary school fields in terms of ongoing maintenance.

K. Cook- Reminder to board members please send out any membership changes.

IX.               Next Meeting Date – Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 7:00am,  Zoom

X.               Adjournment 8:07 am