BLOOMFIELD, NJ – This past Friday, March 10, Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia officially cut the ribbon on a new, state-of-the-art turf baseball field at Vassar Field, and the Carla D. Ward Softball Field at Clarks Pond South.
Mayor Venezia was joined at the ceremony by a number of officials including Councilmembers Dr. Wartyna Davis, Rich Rockwell, Nick Joanow, and Ted Gamble, Bloomfield Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Director Mike Sceurman, Assistant Township Administrators Jean-guy Lauture, Sr. and Kimberly Duva, President of Bloomfield Little League Baseball Steve Pekar, Bloomfield Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Advisory Committee members John Marek, Luis Felix, and Stephane Duret, as well as their Chairman Michael Cantalupo.
“The new baseball and softball fields were built to serve the needs of the community and meet the growing demand for high-quality sports facilities in the area," said Mayor Venezia. “These new fields will not only provide a safe and enjoyable place to play, but will also bring people together through sports. Thank you to the members of the Bloomfield Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Department for helping make this possible at minimal cost to our residents.
The new turf fields are the latest additions to Bloomfield’s sports infrastructure, providing a modern and upgraded playing surface for baseball and softball players of all ages. In addition to the new playing surface, Vassar Field has also been built to now accommodate both little league as well as intermediate age groups (previously only little league).
The construction of the new fields was made possible through Green Acres grants from the Department of Environmental Protection. Residents may recall that turf was originally installed at Vassar Field in 2007 thanks to a previous Green Acres grant, however thanks to the efforts of the Bloomfield Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Department as well as the Department of Public Works and Park Maintenance the field exceeded its projected shelf-life of eight to ten years and only just recently required replacement.