In a mile square community, open space was at a premium and the school district’s athletic fields were used by the entire community.  With consistent heavy use, Metuchen sought the development of a plan that would maximize usage of its fields enabling the Borough to keep pace with the growing need for playfields by the community.  They wanted a plan to determine the appropriate configuration, usage and maintenance of the existing fields.

EI Associates’ landscape architects and civil engineers worked with a citizen’s committee to complete an Athletic Fields Master Plan which would guide in the long-term management of this resource.  The plan includes recommendations for the following:

Synthetic in-fill turf field at the high school.

Renovated natural turf fields for baseball, softball, soccer & field hockey.

Subsurface drainage to increase field usage following rain.

Site-specific maintenance plans.

The district recently completed the final stage of the field renovation project which has resulted in a district-wide field use plan that will enable both school teams and community groups to make better use of the limited athletic facilities in the community.  The $5 million project was part of a $27.8 million referendum project approved by the voters.  The district received a full 40% of the funding from the state.