Bernards Township homeowners sue town, Ridge Baseball Club over baseball field
Fifteen residents from eight homes say their quality of life is affected.
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Some Bernards Township residents are suing the Ridge Baseball Club, claiming the community baseball field affects their quality of life.
A lawsuit was filed against the town and baseball club from 15 residents from eight homes. The residents have lighting and traffic concerns and claim noise from the Ridge Baseball Club Complex creates a public nuisance. They are also upset the lease for the complex has been extended until 2044. The residents wanted the club's lease at the baseball field to expire in May.
“I'm just hopeful this can get resolved in a way that lets kids play baseball,” one resident told News 12.
The Ridge Baseball Club posted a message on its Facebook page that said, “We believe the claims in the lawsuit are without merit and, rest assured, that we plan to work with our Bernards Township elected officials to fight this lawsuit for the benefit of all of our children who love playing baseball at the Complex.”
The organization says even with the lawsuit, practices should start the last week of March or first week of April.
Robert F. Simon, the attorney for the homeowners, released a statement to News 12 New Jersey:
“The lawsuit was unfortunately necessitated by the Township and the Ridge Baseball Club ignoring repeated requests to effectively address certain adverse lighting, noise and traffic impacts to the surrounding residential neighborhood associated with the use of the ballfields. While our clients continue to be supportive of the Ridge Baseball Club – with some of their children playing for the Club – these lighting, noise and traffic problems have never been rectified, and have recently been exacerbated by the Club now participating in the Cal Ripken Junior League - with more non-Township teams now using the fields with an expanded schedule extending the nighttime activities at the Property into the Fall through November 15th (when the neighbors were promised that no nighttime activity in the Fall months would ever take place).
While past attempts to discuss and explore effective and reasonable solutions to these ongoing problems have been unsuccessful, our clients continue to welcome such dialogue with the Township and with the Ridge Baseball Club.”
