Dear Editor:
As a lifelong Weehawken resident who has raised four children, volunteered over 15 years as a youth athletic coach, served as president of the Weehawken Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken Baseball League, and held the position of a town recreation coordinator, I find it appalling that children, namely mine are constantly being thrown out of Weehawken Stadium when going there to simply work out. An $85K Green Acre funded property or ROSI (recreation open space inventory) the stadium is always locked down and is strictly off limits to town residents. I am aware that the field is unavailable while anyone with a permit or any WHS athletic program is using it, but when the facility is not being used under these circumstances it should be open to town and county residents. Taxpayer’s rights are being violated by not being permitted to use the field and by being told to leave if using it. Why is it that the town DPW Supervisor or the Activities Coordinator don’t call the Weehawken Police to remove the kids who are on the field stretching, running and throwing?
The answer is because these kids are not violating any laws except the mayor’s. Weehawken Stadium was aptly named Louis A Ferullo Stadium in honor of their late Deputy Mayor in 2009. I knew Mr. Ferullo well & I believe he would be very disappointed knowing that an athletic facility named in his honor was not available to town residents who simply want to use it for the purpose for which it was intended. Weehawken does not have a sense of community, but instead a sense of a gated community thanks to Mayor Richard Turner.
Artie Strandberg