BY ANN GENADER
WEST MILFORD — Passaic County will soon construct a footbridge in the Highlands Preserve, otherwise known as San Cap, over Cooley Brook to replace a deteriorating bridge that connects the parking lot to ball fields.
The public park is 224-acre of Passaic County park in Hewitt. The bridge and four adjacent ball fields are located on seven acres of the park property at the end of Oak Street.
The park, which had been known as San Cap for 50 years, was renamed by the county last year. It is adjacent to Abram S. Hewitt State Forest and features hiking trails.
Township of West Milford officials were unsuccessful in their offer to buy or continue leasing the property from the county. The county used "Green Acres" funds to purchase the parkland. According to the state website, "the Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres, and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007 authorized $12 million for acquisition of lands in the floodways of the Delaware River, Passaic River or Raritan River, and their respective tributaries, for recreation and conservation purposes."
Since this fund was used by Passaic County to buy the land, West Milford may not have exclusive use of any of it. People from out of town must have equal access as the locals to the park.
Last week, the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders awarded a contract to Colonnelli Brothers of Hackensack to rebuild the footbridge for $44,820.
The bridge will replace an aged walkway now connecting the lot to the fields.
Colonnelli, with the lowest bid price, competed for the work contract with three other contractors, who each submitted higher prices to build the new bridge. The most expensive bid was $227,000.
The successful contractor’s low bid for the project was close to County Engineer Steven J. Edmund’s $45,000 cost estimate.
The ball fields were built about five decades ago after local construction businessmen drove their equipment to the failed San Cap Country Club and Golf Course site in Hewitt. They participated in a volunteer community effort to make playing fields for local children.
The property, originally known as the Agnew Estate in the 1940s, was purchased from the family by two businessmen with plans to create an elegant country club complex. They combined the first three letters of each of their last name to uniquely name their club.
The San Cap project never came to fruition and eventually Passaic County became the property owner.
After the contractors built the fields, people living in the Township of West Milford continued to play games on the fields without concern that a day would come when local officials and recreation department would be no longer be in charge of the land.
After the county acquired the property, local officials didn't think much would change.
But, stormy winds began to blow in August 2017.
Passaic County officials notified the municipality that the county planned to fully incorporate the area known as San Cap into the Passaic County Park System. On Jan. 1 of the current year, the county plan went into effect.
Up until then, seven acres of the property, which included the softball fields and parking area, were leased by West Milford.
County officials told the township the county would take over field maintenance and upgrades and would be build the footbridge from the fields to the parking area.
In an unsuccessful request, Mayor Bettina Bieri wrote a letter to the county administrator and freeholders asking that the park property be separated into the fields and trail parcels and allow the township to manage the fields. The plan was to use volunteers to do the work to avoid field use fees.
However, the county did not grant her request.
In another failed request, Bieri then suggested using taxpayer money that is saved in West Milford’s Open Space Fund to buy the section of the park where the fields are located.
West Milford also asked and were denied to be in charge of reservations. In April 2017, the county earmarked $100,000 to create a prime hiking destination at Highlands Preserve. It was at that time that the name change was also announced.
The park website says ball field reservations and permits can be issued by the county. It is open from sunup to sundown, according to the website.