More delays for 1,500-seat field

Hudson County awarded a construction contract last April for of a soccer/football field that would seat 1,500 people at James J. Braddock Park in North Bergen. But state funding for the project has been frozen pending environmental cleanup, and one local official said the cleanup may never begin.
When construction began last summer at the 4-acre section of the park near Woodcliff Avenue, residents surrounding the park formed the Friends of James J. Braddock Park. They said they weren’t given enough notice of the project, and feared that more portions of the park would be set aside for specific uses rather than saved for open space.

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“…The cleanup is a lot more expensive than they thought it was going to be.” – Nicholas Sacco
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The county had already awarded a $3.5 million contract to Tomco Construction to build. But the construction was short-lived. Workers preparing the ground for an artificial turf surface noted the presence of creosote, which is a waterproofing chemical used on railroad ties from the trolleys that existed in the area during the 1930s. There were also numerous discarded tires.
Hudson County Spokesperson Jim Kennelly said in November that the pollutants weren’t very deep in the ground and that the likely solution would be to remove all of the contaminated soil and replace it with the subsurface of the field.
He believed then that it would take about six months to complete the cleanup.
But last week, North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco said that he is unsure if construction will ever resume.
“I was told they are not as this point proceeding with the project,” said Sacco. “They haven’t made any real determination yet, [but] the cleanup is a lot more expensive than they thought it was going to be.”
However, state Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Lawrence Hajna said last week the state has received a remediation plan from the county. Hajna said that in addition to removing the soil contaminated by creosote, there is also historic fill present in certain parts of the site, consisting mainly of metals. He said that this area will have to be capped off.
The county plans to clean up the site during the summer, he said.
“The grant money is still on hold and it will be released once the work is done,” said Hajna.
The county received a $1.5 million state Green Acres grant for the project. Then, the DEP froze the funds until the county could prove the contamination had been removed.

A blighted area

Last summer, residents complained that the area suffered from poor planning. They said that a previously built soccer field bordering Bergenline Avenue became a “dust bowl” that causes their properties to be covered in dirt because of constant play.
Sacco said that he wants the township to be involved in the progress of construction in future projects in that area. But so far, he has not been informed of any progress, he said.
“We’re again looking at an eyesore in North Hudson County Park and I wish they would resolve what they intend to do,” said Sacco.
Numerous phone calls to County Spokesman Jim Kennelly were not returned last week in time for publication.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.