October 21, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 13 Waldwick American Legion wants field for its baseball team The Waldwick Post of American Legion once again is asking the Waldwick Borough Council to turn the Traphagen School soccer/football field back into a baseball On-line auction slated for three old police cars The Borough of Waldwick is putting three police cars on the auction block – on eBay, that is. According to Borough Administrator Gary Kratz, the borough’s first use of the on-line auction last year was a success, so why not repeat it? “The first time worked out well. We got bidders from all over the country. We hope to get a whole bunch of bids this time around, too,” Kratz said. He said that the only problem experienced with last year’s sale of a 2002 Suburban was that it took the Texas bidder several weeks to pick up the vehicle. A condition of the next sale is that the successful bidder will have to pick up the car within five business days of the sale. Rather than flood the market with three similar cars, Kratz plans to offer one at a time two weeks apart. The first is an unmarked 2003 Chevrolet Impala with an odometer reading of 62,447. The minimum price being posted is $500. “If the starting price is too high, we may not get any bidders. If we let the auction take its course, we’ll wind up with more than the minimum,” Kratz explained. The first of the three online auctions will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. The address site is www.ebay.com. The surplus vehicle is being sold “as is,” without express or implied warranties. The other two police cars to be offered on future dates are both Chevy Impalas with similar odometer readings, one marked and one unmarked. Disposing of the cars on-line, which the state began allowing last year on an experimental basis, provides greater exposure for the item than an in-house auction. It is also a much quicker process that traditional auctions because it can be done right away rather than having to wait until several items have accumulated to hold the auction. Under state law, the only way a municipality may dispose of items that are no longer needed is through public auction. field. Legion Post 57 Vice Commander Harold Scheidler told the borough council last week that the Legion-sponsored team had captured third place in the State of New Jersey last season, out of 342 teams, “without an adequate field to play on.” He said that of the nine home games the team played, only two were played in Waldwick, at the high school field. “If we don’t accommodate these kids, we are going to lose the program,” he said, noting that 80 percent of the American Legion League players go on to play college baseball, many on scholarships. He added that the Waldwick team has a good chance of being the state champions in the American Legion program next year. “Baseball is on the rise,” Scheidler said, noting that there were two teams in the 1619 age group this past season, double from the previous year, plus two new teams in the 12 and under division. Scheidler asked that the Traphagen field be reconstructed for baseball without dug- outs. He said when the old baseball field was “destroyed” and converted to a soccer field, no one was notified of it. “We have the backstop; we have the fencing. You just have to cut the bases and mound, and it can be used for other activities,” Scheidler said. He said the season runs from the end of May to the end of July, with approximately 45 games scheduled among the four teams. Scheidler made a similar plea for a field last year, but no action was taken. Mayor Russell Litchult said the item would be placed on the agenda for discussion during the council’s December workshop session. “We will talk about it, as we did last year,” said Councilwoman Anita Bozzo. “But we have a delicate balancing act to perform. We have to balance taxes against every program,” she added. Scheidler asked that the funds left over from the Ted Bell Park grant be used to redo the field. Mayor Litchult said that grant funds are awarded for a specific program and cannot be reallocated. Serving Northern New Jersey LICENSED BY THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION LIC# 29703 MIDLAND PARK, NJ – 201.988.5428 Keeping Families Warm Since 1929. 7-15-09 ESTER/JANINE ShamrockDemolition3x3(7-15-09) 3 x 3” Serving All Your Home Heating Needs Prompt, Reliable Service You Can Depend On, Plus The Personal Attention You Deserve. • Oil Heat Systems Serviced & Installed • Automatic Fuel Oil Deliveries • Tank Insurance Available Cash ts Discougn il n O On Heati s Deliverie 24 Hour 201-891-1000 Emergency Service �����������������������