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Sports

Wilson Field Re-Opened on 35th Anniversary

Summit officials hailed the re-opening of Wilson Park as a success for the children of Summit, but also as a model of how a community can work together to get something done right.

Wilson Park's baseball field became a field of dreams for the community of Summit and was unveiled for the public on Saturday.

Wilson field had been closed since 2008 due to poor turf conditions and inadequate drainage. Former Common Council president, Diane Klaif, said that as a result, the field had become a safety concern.

The newly refurbished ball field was officially re-opened and rededicated on Saturday by Mayor Jordan Glatt, council members, members of the Department of Community Programs, Summit baseball teams and members of the general public. Council members said the event was especially momentous as 2010 marks the 35th anniversary of Wilson Park.

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 Last year, members of the Wilson Park Task Force, met with neighbors and the community at-large to coordinate a master plan everyone could agree on.

"This is a project that I felt was a model for the way it was handled," Glatt said. "There was a lot less noise, if you will, in putting this together."

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Diana Rosin, member of the Department of Community Programs said the field had been in serious of need of renovation. "Now we have an adequate field with proper drainage," Rosin said.

JC Landscaping and Construction Management Inc., were contracted to work on the project. Glatt said the design engineering was performed in-house.

The total cost of the field renovation was $462,000 with $159,000 in funding from the county.

Only baseball will be played on Wilson Field to keep it in better shape.

"We've had baseball, soccer and lacrosse played on it and that really ripped up the grass," Glatt said. "We are hoping that by just having baseball played here, it would help maintain the field in better condition."

Director of the Department of Community Programs, Judith Leblein Josephs, was elated as she watched the Summit Hilltoppers take the field after Glatt threw the ceremonial first pitch.

"It's amazing to think that baseball and soccer have been played here for 35 years," Josephs said. "And now this field will continue to be here for future generations."

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