Thursday, February 21, 2008

Turf plan foes say put issue to vote.... (click for entire article)

By TODD MCHALE
Burlington County Times
EVESHAM — A day after the Township Council approved spending $3.1 million to build two artificial turf fields, opponents of the plan have not given up their fight.

While no decisions have been made, Karen Borden, a member of the grassroots group Voters Against Synthetic Turf, said yesterday she believes there's enough support in town to override the council's decision Tuesday night and put the measure to a public referendum vote.

“It's definitely doable,” Borden said, noting it only took her group five days to get 400 people to sign an earlier petition opposing the turf fields.

Opponents have objected to the plan primarily because of health and safety concerns related to the products used in the fields, the lack of public input in the decision and the township's use of local open space tax revenues on land it doesn't own.

In order to recall the bond ordinance and put it to a public vote, opponents have 20 days to get 15 percent of the voters who cast ballots in the last election for state Assembly to sign a petition stating they favor such a referendum.

Basically, that means the group must get about 1,100 signatures from registered voters in town in less than three weeks.