Sports Could be Played at GRHS by Late October, Officials Say

If all breaks well, there remains a solid possibility sports could be played at the Glen Rock High School athletic complex as soon as Oct. 19, according to school board member Carlo Cella.

that because of issues with rain, heat and unsuitable soil, the fall athletic teams would be playing most or all games away from Glen Rock or at neutral sites. The athletic conference posted a message on its website that the fields would not be open for the fall and school officials spoke of potential upcoming challenges.

However, on Monday night Cella said the book was not closed on the fields being shuttered for fall. Officials were planning for the contingency they would not be ready in time.

"Somehow this planning got wrongly interpreted as the fact that we'd lose the entire fall," Cella said, addressing the audience. "Please be assured that everyone is working to make sure this does not occur."

The new projection calls for the multi-purpose field to be ready on Homecoming weekend, in time for the Oct. 20 football game against Rutherford. The multi-purpose field can host football, soccer and lacrosse games.

On the lower soccer field, turf is scheduled to be placed down on Oct. 25 but additional site grading and "other finishing touches" will delay the opening until later in the fall, Cella said. No specific date was mentioned.

Cella cautioned that the process remains fluid at this point. 

"Please note that all the above are highly contingent upon experiencing minimum delays going forward," the trustee said. "The biggest contributor with respect to future delays would be weather related, specifically heavy or prolonged rain."

The board will be appealing to the borough and county soil authority to receive temporary permits before the entire project is completed. Cella disputed a report in The Record that cited difficulty in obtaining permits as a cause for the construction delay.

It's not yet known if the baseball field or track will be ready for spring.

The $800,000 sum allocated to unsuitable soil removal has been significantly reduced, officials said. Contractor Turco Golf's price has lowered to $394,000, leaving a project balance of $447,000. That figure will be moved back to the capital fund, Cella said.

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