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Somerset County Freeholders Approve a Grant for Somerville Fields Freeholders have approved grants for school districts in Somerville and North Plainfield to overhaul their athletic fields. The grants of up to $1 million are separate from engineering and bidding services that the county also intends to provide for those districts, which both want to install new synthetic turf fields. The Somerville school district wants to turn Brooks Field into a turf field, while the North Plainfield district wants Krausche Field renovated into a turf facility. "We're ecstatic and eternally grateful to the freeholders for making such a grant to us," Somerville Superintendent Carolyn Leary said. The districts had applied in January to participate in the new county program that uses open space dollars for recreation upgrades. Both applications were approved by the county Open Space Advisory Committee. Freeholder Director Rick Fontana said the county is managing the projects for the sake of efficiency and to take advantage of any cost savings. Officials said Somerville would use money that supporters had raised for the field improvements to convert a second field used for field hockey into a turf field, though that project would be bid out with the other to help reduce the price. County officials announced the program in December. Voters approved a referendum in 2005 allowing the county to use up to 25 percent of its Open Space, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund to pay for the development or improvement of existing recreational facilities. (by Martin Bricketto-Courier News 2.4.09) Team Green will continue its fund raising efforts to complete the renovation of the Brooks Field Complex including the purchasing of new scoreboards, goals and the refurbishment of the Snack Shack. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TEAM GREEN Announces Field Naming Rights Gift of $500,000. Vicki Harmer (SEF) and Billy Garbarini (HOF) have just announced the most current news from the TEAM GREEN fund raising effort that an anonymous pledge of one half million dollars has been gifted to the TEAM GREEN as an effort to support the Somerville, Branchburg, Immaculata, Pop Warner communities that call the Brooks Complex their home field. This gift includes naming rights to the field and will be announced in greater detail as the arrangements are made and will be coupled with a special ceremony during the 2009 Football Season.
TEAM GREEN is hopeful that IF one additional grant funding application proves successful, the construction of the new fields can be undertaken during the spring and summer of 2009; hopefully, in time for turf play during the fall sports season. (11.28.08) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somerville’s Pop Warner League Makes Key Initial Contributions: Somerville’s youngest athletes have kicked off TEAM GREEN’s fund raising effort with key financial support to help install synthetic turf at the Brooks Field complex by making two contributions totaling $ 45,000. during the campaign’s initial 2005-06 season. “This contribution required a lot of support from parents, players and our volunteers, but we felt it was an investment in the future of our players to expose them to a playing surface that they are bound to encounter as they pursue sports through middle school and high school years;” stated Pop Warner President Paul Chickene. Somerville’s Pop Warner league practices on Borough parkland that periodically floods forcing them to find dry high ground at the whim of the weather; however, their league competition games and scrimmages are held at the main Brooks Field on days and times that avoid any conflicts with the other constituents that call Brooks Field their home turf. (11.22.05) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Immaculata H.S. Pledges Substantial Partnership with Somerville's TEAM GREEN Immaculata High School has pledged the support of their successful “Field of Dreams” fund raising committee to partner with Somerville’s TEAM GREEN in converting the Brooks field complex to a synthetic turf play surface. Immaculata’s Rev. Monsignor Seamus Brennan and Somerville’s Superintendent, Dr. Carolyn Leary recently announced their support for a pledge from the Field of Dreams Committee in the amount of $ 125,000. towards the TEAM GREEN initiative that will ensure their respective schools will continue to share a new and improved ‘home turf’ for at least the next quarter century. This gift from Immaculata will not be taken from any Church contributions or from any tuition revenue. The Immaculate Conception Parish Council for Financial Affairs and the Parish Trustees have approved this new partnership; also, Rev. Bishop Paul Bootkoski, Diocese of Metuchen, upon the recommendation of the Diocesan Board of Consultors, has also given his blessing to this arrangement.
Somerville H.S. and Immaculata H.S. are located only a few blocks apart within the Somerville community. Although their ability to compete directly in pursuit of the Mayor’s Trophy has been an erratic but always highly-spirited, cross town rivalry; BOTH schools share the use of Brooks Field as their home turf and jointly contribute to its annual deterioration as the natural grass surface degrades with each passing game of the season.
Fresh from the 2004 fund raising campaign to construct their own synthetic turf I.H.S. Field of Dreams, on the site landlocked behind their High School, the Immaculata boosters offered their assistance to TEAM GREEN to help jump start the campaign to convert Brooks field into a state-of-the-art, synthetic turf play surface that would provide a consistent playing surface, game after game, season after season, free from the mud and dust conditions that have plagued Brooks complex towards the end of every football season in the 40+ years that these two schools have shared a community resource of open land for athletic pursuits. Immaculata plays all its home varsity football games at Brooks Field, and the schools collaborate in several other activities including gymnastics and band competitions. (9.21.2005) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somerville HS Athletic Hall of Fame Makes Substantial $55,000.+ Contribution HOF President and Co-Chair of TEAM GREEN, Billy Garbarini recently announced that the SHS Athletic Hall of Fame has recognized its unique position as the lead, SHS Alumni organization in a position to help achieve the successful outcome of TEAM GREEN’s synthetic turf initiative. Accordingly, the HOF organization has made a substantial five year pledge of $25,000. towards the field project; in addition, Garbarini led a contingent of HOF members in making direct pledges to support TEAM GREEN resulting in more than $30,000. in additional pledges.
The Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes great athletes of all eras who have contributed to the quality and character of life within their Somerville High School and collegiate careers. The HOF awards annual scholarships to graduating seniors from Somerville and Branchburg who distinguished themselves while attending SHS. (8.8.2006) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somerville’s TEAM GREEN Receives Anonymous $125,000 Contribution Somerville Educational Foundation (SEF) President and Co-Chair of TEAM GREEN, Vicki Harmer, announced receipt of a four-year pledge from a local, community-based medical and health care provider who has requested anonymity. The pledge was steered towards the TEAM GREEN field campaign through the assistance of Somerville’s Mayor Brian Gallagher since the TEAM GREEN initiative represents “an obvious good fit for health care providers and medical professionals as the introduction of a synthetic playing surface will be able to host a far wider range of competitive athletics as well as school based physical education and community-based recreational activities than the current grass field can ever sustain.”
Official TEAM GREEN spokesman, NJ Assemblyman Christopher "Kip" Bateman, R-Branchburg stated, “We are very excited to report the news of this substantial $125,000. gift to our campaign because it sets a high bar for both corporate and individual contributions…..Also, because it represents the very best in public - private partnerships where residents of several communities can come together to lobby and work for a shared vision that benefits more than just a small segment of society.” (3.8.06) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Partnership to Support TEAM GREEN TEAM GREEN and the S.E.F. is pleased to announce the formation of a new strategic partnership with the S.H.S. Hall of Fame to collectively raise funds for the field and turf upgrades at the existing Brooks Field complex. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “PARTNERSHIP” Defines TEAM GREEN Support TEAM GREEN is the result of a strategic partnership headed by the Somerville Educational Foundation (SEF) and the Somerville High School Athletic Hall of Fame (HOF). Our goal is to collectively raise sufficient funds from donations, pledges, grants and gifts to undertake new synthetic field upgrades at the main Brooks Field play surface (Phase 1) and then leveling, restoring and surfacing the existing Field Hockey field at Davenport & Ivanhoe streets.
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