Mahwah October 9, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 9 Grant sought for recreation facility upgrades by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Council has applied for a $35,000 Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund grant to help pay for the renovation of the township’s recreation facility at the inter- section of Fardale Avenue and Chapel Road. The facility contains four fenced in courts, two of which have tennis nets installed, while a third court has two bas- ketball backboards at either end, and the fourth court has striping for roller hockey. The site is located adjacent to the Fardale baseball and soccer field and next to a vacant lot that borders on the George Washington Elementary School property. The Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Farmland & Historic Preservation Trust Fund (also known as the County Trust Fund), provides matching grants to munici- pal governments and nonprofit organizations for assistance in the development or redevelopment of municipal recre- ation facilities. If the grant application is successful, the township will have to match the $35,000 from the county to cover the estimated $70,000 total renovation cost. Mahwah Township Administrator Brian Campion explained that the grant the township is seeking from the county is reasonable because, while the county’s munici- pal park program has less money that it did last year, the amount it has would average out to about $30,000 if every town participated in the grant program. In the event of a County Trust Fund award that may be less than the amount requested, the township has, or will secure, the balance of funding necessary to complete the project or modify the project as necessary, Campion said. According to Campion, the $35,000 in matching funds the township would have to pay for the project would come from the township’s open space trust fund, which has suf- ficient funds for that purpose. He explained that the town- ship’s fund is bolstered each year by a one cent per $100 of assessed valuation tax on all properties in Mahwah. At a recent public meeting, the township council held a public hearing on its plan to submit an application for the grant. During that public hearing, Campion advised the council that the courts need a major repair of their sur- faces. Councilman Steven Sbarra pointed out that he rarely sees anyone using the courts, and he asked if the Mahwah Recreation Committee plans to use the tennis courts for its tennis program. Campion responded that the township’s recreation department started a tennis program this year and Council President Harry Williams confirmed that a tennis program was started in June and the tennis courts at the high school were used for that program. Williams suggested that the new tennis program could use additional court space. He added, “The availability of these courts will extend what we’re able to do.” If the grant is received, Campion estimated the renova- tion would be carried out in late 2014. Blood Drive & Open House set Mahwah Fire Company #1, located at 100 Miller Road, will host its Fifth Annual Blood Drive and Open House on Sunday, Oct. 13. The event is held in memory of Firefighter Mike Drozd. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. residents are invited to meet the volunteers and check out the company’s trucks and equip- ment. Those who attend are invited to donate blood to benefit Community Blood Services. All blood donors will have an opportunity to win tickets to the Super Bowl on Feb. 4, 2014. Visitors are also encouraged to support the firefight- ers’ non-perishable food collection to benefit the Center for Food Action.