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The speeches are over, the Bulldogs have been vanquished, and the marching band has returned to Piscataway. Now, Highland Park returns to address the long-term expenses for the new athletic field installed at HPHS.

The multipurpose field and surrounding recreation area were built with state and county grants. However, the synthetic turf is expected to need major maintenance, and possibly replacement, in about ten years. That long-term cost could come to between $500,000 and a million dollars, Mayor Meryl Frank and council president Elsie Foster-Dublin said at an informal discussion with community rec users on October 1st. While stating that user fees will never cover the full bill for disposal and renovation, the borough expects that rec users should contribute.

The borough and school have agreed to a 49/51 stake in maintenance and replacement of the rec facilities. The school district also supplies electricity for upgraded stadium lights on the turf field, a cost that has grown significantly with the new facility’s popularity.

But the Highland Park Soccer Association, a not-for-profit soccer league, expressed doubt of their ability to afford the district’s planned chargeback rate of $80/hour for the lighting alone.

A field use fee of $50/hour had been floated during an August council committee meeting, but lowered to $25/child after community discussion in September. The HPSA maintains that any hourly or per-capita fees for lights or field use would be unwieldy to manage, and counterproductive to wider community use of the facility.

Some soccer league members indicated support for a per-season fee to their group, if that also covers their contribution to the lighting costs.

The meeting also addressed the costs of operating the Senior/Youth Center on South Sixth Avenue. The borough is considering a $12 hourly fee to cover staffing costs, which would not apply when borough-sponsored programs are occurring (weekdays, some evenings, and part of Sundays).

The council also indicated some flexibility to accommodate established community groups’ schedules. For-profit users, and groups not majority H.P. residents, would pay a higher facility charge.

Other ideas to lessen the facility costs included sponsorship sales,  rentals to elite sport leagues, and traditional fund-raising. Borough council is scheduled to have discussed the topic further on October 6th.