Greater Access to Count Basie Park

Red Bank announced longer hours and greater access to the track and artificial field at Count Basie Field Monday, a dramatic departure from the severely limited access afforded residents during the winter months.

According to a release from the borough, the Count Basie track and field, a separate facility from the rest of the park, will open at 7am and remain open until 9pm each day to better accommodate Red Bank residents. Through the winter and early spring locked gates restricted access after 3pm, though some days the gates remained locked throughout.

The new summer hours were announced jointly by Councilman Edward Zipprich, liaison to the Department of Public Utilities, and Councilwoman Juanita Lewis, liaison to the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Public Utilities maintain the borough’s parks. Opening of the Basie’s grass fields was delayed this season as the harsh winter and significant snows not only left the fields covered for long periods of time, but left them soggy when the white stuff finally receded.

At a recent council meeting, however, Zipprich said that planted grass seeds have begun to sprout and those fields are now open to recreation sports, like baseball and softball, too.

“It’s high time to let our residents get out and enjoy them,” Zipprich said of the fields in a statement.

The track and artificial field are another matter. The fields, which were installed only a couple of years ago and paid for by the borough through a number of grants and other funding sources, are mostly used by Red Bank Catholic. To use the fields, the private high school pays Red Bank an annual fee.

The track and field will be available for public use except during scheduled sporting events. The grandstands will also be off limit, according to the release, as a matter of public safety.

Access to the track and field was a major point of concern at a recent meeting of west side residents. The group wondered why access to a public park would be restricted to the public, especially they said, after it was made available to the borough’s residents for years.  

The concerns of the residents were not specifically address in the statement from the borough. Red Bank did state, however, that public utilities will monitor the facility to ensure that the posted rules are being followed.