May 10, 2001: Contours refined, track progresses, detention pond gains definition

 looking south
[for enlarged view- 85k, but worth the wait]

December 15: macadam goes down to underlay the track.

  looking south
[for enlarged view]

  looking north

Early November saw the curbing completed on the track
For a slide show of October and November progress,  and the monthly panorama
click here [each of 3 months has a 60k photo... please be patient.]

 

October brought a change in the colors, and speedy work on the curbing on the track.
Photo looks south. [10.08.00]

Below: The Summer rains hamstrung work on the fields, but as late August arrived the outlines of the
complex became more visible. The panorama shows three directions: North to the left, the middle
looks east over the cliff and towards NYC; the right looks south, towards the existing practice fields and fieldhouse.
The shape of the track and game field is now visible.

photo September 1, 2000 [This photo looks in the opposite direction from the panorama below]

 

photo June 2000          Work progresses...  left side of photo looks south, parallel to cliff ["First Mountain"]; existing field is beyond treeline;          middle looks west, into area of planned practice field; right looks north along cliff, towards area          of track and game field.

 

 

 

photo November '99

Clearing of trees for the new fields was halted until the judge's order lifted the temporary restraining order. On the left, in the background, are the existing field and structure, looking to the west. Swinging to the right follows the line of Prospect Avenue, and looks to the north at the right edge of the photograph.

Seton Hall Prep gets approval for fields

11/19/99  By Dawn S. Onley  Staff Writer, Star-Ledger     

A Superior Court judge yesterday allowed Seton Hall Preparatory School to continue building athletic fields on a Prospect Avenue tract that West Orange residents were fighting to keep open space. Judge Arthur Minuskin issued a temporary restraining order last week prohibiting any further work on the $1.4 million project until both sides could be heard on the issue. Residents filed the emergency motion to protect the area, where wildlife and century-old trees abound on 44 wooded acres. The school owns the land and said the athletic fields and track, which will take up seven to 10 acres, are desperately needed.

At yesterday's hearing, Michael Saffer, attorney for the residents, argued the school failed to comply with a township ordinance that required it to submit an environmental impact statement to the planning board. The statement, Saffer said, would show the project's environmental effects and also would allow residents to be heard.

''The plain language of the ordinance says all preliminary and final site plan applications of 5 acres or more shall be accompanied by an environmental impact statement," Saffer said. "It doesn't say may be or should be; it says 'shall.' "

John Murray, attorney for Seton Hall Preparatory School, and Sal Anderton, who represents the West Orange Planning Board, countered that the project had already met full compliance with the planning board. Both said the school had hired four experts to testify on the environmental impact of the project over a series of hearings and the planning board ultimately found the project to be acceptable.

Furthermore, Murray and Anderton added that any environmental concerns should have been addressed long before the planning board signed off on the project on July 22.

''It's 110 days since this action was approved by the planning board," said Murray. "This application is untimely and even if you get over that hurdle, we believe we have fully complied on all issues and the planning board so found."

The judge agreed. ''I originally was of the opinion that submission of the (environmental statement) was a jurisdictional requirement, but apparently it's not," Judge Minuskin said, adding that the West Orange township law appeared to be flexible, allowing expert testimony in the place of a formal environmental impact statement.

Prep's Prospect Property gets the green light from West Orange Planning Board On Wednesday, June 2, the West Orange Planing Board gave approval to the final version of the site plan for the further development of Seton Hall's property on Prospect Avenue. Tabbed as the future site of the Edward D. and Helen M. Kelly Athletic Complex, the development had hung in limbo since the March meeting, awaiting testimony by geological and hydrogeological experts. Seton Hall's representative, John Murray, Esq. '59 led the witnesses [Danielle Joneja, VP, Environmental Compliance Control, Inc. and Stephen Laney, Hydro Geo Corporation] through a cogent explanation of the sub-surface soil structure as well as the effect of the proposed ground cover on the fields (sod) as opposed to the current situation (trees and "forest debris.") Their testimony, that the drainage in the surrounding areas would probably improve as a result of the Prep's drainage and site improvement plan, did much to allay the concerns of the majority of the Board members. A number of minor plan alterations offered by Seton Hall (a slightly increased buffer area, replacement tree plantings both on site and elsewhere in town, intended submission of a landscape plan, etc.) also assuaged the major concerns of all but the most hardened opponents to the plan. The drainage plan presented to the Board was designed to deal with "a 100 year storm", as well as to divert the run-off away from the Prospect Avenue half of the site, and into the town's  existing drainage systen running along Northfield Avenue. Actually "over-designed" by the Prep's engineers, the system is to be constructed to handle eight times the amount of water anticipated to infiltrate the soil following the natural "evapo-transpiration" which takes place from the sodded areas. Several Board members remarked positively on Seton Hall's desire to develop their property in a manner which not only benefits the students but also addresses the concerns of the community. This was also echoed by the attorney for one of the opposition groups. Currently the bulk of the 44 acre parcel of property purchased in 1993 is undeveloped. A football/lacrosse practice field sits on an east/west axis at the southern end of the tract. Plans call for two additional fields (one practice field, the other a game field with a quarter mile running track surrounding it) to be placed perpendicular to the existing field with a buffer of trees between the two areas. The current Cross-Country trail will be reconfigured to traverse the new layout. Moveable bleachers for approximately 200 will seat those expected to attend soccer and lacrosse games and conform to town ordinances regarding parking/seating ratios. Varsity football and baseball games will continue to be played at Verducci Field on campus. Seton Hall recognizes that items not specified by this plan or future further development will be dealt with by the appropriate planning board application process. (go to Groundbreaking Ceremony)