As you may be aware, our League and the work we are doing on the building at the fields recently became the subject of several newspaper articles and an editorial in the Asbury Park Press.  Some of these articles and the editorial, as well as other conjecture “out there,” are filled with statements that are completely inaccurate and entirely misleading.  It is, therefore, necessary to set the record straight: 

The North Howell Little League Board Members appeared before the Township Council two weeks ago to discuss this issue. At that time, the Council decided it would look further into all of the circumstances and facts surrounding the many aspects of this project before making any final determinations.  

Our Board was elated at this because it presented the opportunity to inform all the decision makers on this project of the details and requirements that we have learned over the last year, and because the facts speak for themselves as to why and how certain decisions have been made.    

At the April 25^th Town Council meeting, North Howell Little League Board Members provided the Mayor, Council and Town Manager the following documents: 

ü      North Howell Little League’s most recent bi-monthly financial report

ü      A copy of every communication between the project’s architect and the Township’s Building Department

ü      A binder containing a copy of every receipt for every dime that has been spent on the project thus far

ü      A list of all proposals received from the contractors for each step of the project  

Our Board was eager to continue the positive dialogue that began early in this process with the Mayor, Town Council and the Township Officials to do the following: 

ü      Ensure total compliance with all necessary building codes

ü      Afford complete transparency on all aspects of the process for anyone who has questions along the way  

As a result, Board Members left a subsequent Town Council meeting two weeks ago feeling inspired that this was government at its best.  It was evident to anyone in the room that Mayor DiBella and certain members of this Council were committed to furthering an open and productive dialogue on this issue in effort to reach a positive conclusion for all involved.   

Since that time, however, our Board and all of the good work that has been accomplished for the benefit of the children of Howell, have come under attack from people who, instead of choosing to be a part of the positive discussion and ultimate solution by offering comment, suggestion or even constructive criticism, have chosen, instead, to insult, accuse, pontificate or judge without first educating themselves on the specifics of this project. 

For whatever reason these people have for choosing to act in this way, be it personal or political, it is shameful that this conversation, intended to benefit generations of children in this Township, has taken such a turn.  Let us be clear here: We are talking about a group of volunteer parents who are working day and night for the children of this community, and who have nothing to gain in this endeavor but the satisfaction of knowing they made Howell Township a better place in which to live.  

The irony here is incredible: our goal is to serve the children and parents of North Howell Little League, yet many of the adults in this discussion are acting no better than the stereotypical “Little League Parent” at his worst, who yells from the stands, second-guesses coaches, criticizes the umpires and adds absolutely nothing constructive to the process.  

When the decisions are finally made about how we will proceed with this project we invite these people to push themselves away from their computers and maybe go see a Little League game. Perhaps volunteer for an organization and make a difference in the life of a child. But, by all means, we recommend to these naysayers that they attempt to ascertain the facts surrounding situations and have a modicum of the truth in their arsenal before they attack people’s character and reputations.  

Now for the specifics of the issue…

The present Board of Directors from North Howell Little League inherited this project from the former organization, the North Howell Youth Sports Association, that ran the baseball operations at our fields for two years.  In 2004, the President of the former organization had requested of Mayor Konopka and the former Council $150,000 toward the construction of a new building on the property at Okerson Road. Several months later, that same individual proposed the following methodology to the Township: The League would construct the building at its own expense and the Town would purchase the building back from the League for $150,000, providing that a certificate of occupancy was secured and that the building assessed for at least that value.  

When the name on the lease on the property, (which had been changed from North Howell Little League to North Howell Youth Sports Association), was changed back to North Howell Little League, a new Board of Directors took over the baseball operations as well as the challenge of working with the Town to construct the building.  

On July 26^th 2005, an ordinance was adopted by the Township Council that authorized North Howell Little League to construct “a building” on the Township-owned land, known as Block 169, Lot 1.06. This is the property we commonly refer to as “the fields.” On September 23^rd 2005 our League President signed an agreement that calls for the building to be constructed to “meet all codes of the Township of Howell, County of Monmouth and State of New Jersey”.   

As we, in the present organization, began to move forward on the project, contrary to what we were all lead to believe by the statements from the former league president, the building was not “weeks away” from being started. Unfortunately, the former organization negotiated the terms of the original $150,000 request of the Township, and the terms of construction, without having any site plans, mechanical drawings, HVAC plans, plumbing design, septic design, budget projections or any understanding whatsoever as to what the costs of this project would be. Although their intentions were genuine, the former organization failed to research, investigate or enumerate any of the relevant pieces of information or costs associated with this project.  

As we became immersed in the project, it became abundantly clear to us that no matter how much labor was donated and how much material we obtained at cost…no matter how much bartering we could do…this project was terribly under-funded.  Accordingly, members of the Board of Directors from the North Howell Little League appeared before the current Mayor and Town Council to apprise them of the situation, explain to them the present Board’s findings and to share with them our records.   

For purposes of clarification: the Township has given no funds at this point to the North Howell Little League.  To date, all costs associated with the project have been paid for privately.  

The funds are available in the North Howell Little League Construction Account to complete the roof and window installation, as soon as the necessary inspections are completed. 

Because of the hard work of the many volunteers who have participated in this project and the generosity of local business owners this project will be completed by the League at under $100 a square foot. That is less than half of the $200 a square foot most builders quote for a commercial building such as this.  

There have been many questions regarding the size of the building. The building’s size increased from the original footprint size for two reasons. First, two additional bathroom stalls and sinks had to be added in both the men’s and women’s bathrooms to meet with code. The bathroom requirements are based on the architect’s estimate of roughly 180 players on the fields and 140 spectators, which are conservative estimates for 5 baseball fields. Each stall and sink requires 2 1/2 feet of space, 10 feet in total. This is an additional 10 feet on one side of the building. Additionally, our architect included a second stairway as required by law if the upstairs occupancy is to exceed 50 people. In other words, an extra means of escape for occupants in the case of an emergency was necessary. This was a very prudent idea considering there will be stoves and fryers on the first floor. As a result, the extra stairway added additional square footage to the opposite side of the building.  

The cost due to the increase in the building’s size is minimal. Some additional block and steel had to be added on either side.  Building code requires the same number of bathrooms be available at the fields regardless of the building’s size. Code requires the same septic design for either building, because it is based on the number of bathrooms. Code still requires specific HVAC systems because it is considered a commercial building. The cost for this work, along with electric, and required ansel systems for the kitchen is well in excess of $200,000. That does not include the block, the steel, the concrete etc.  

Our challenges are different than other Leagues in the Township. We have no bathrooms, no permanent concession stand, no lighting for our fields.  We are expanding to keep pace with our growing numbers. We are changing one of our larger fields into three smaller fields to accommodate the growing number of young children who are part of our League. It will be a costly process with fences and fieldwork needed. Additionally, although the cost of lights is daunting, with this new building as the centerpiece for fundraising opportunities, it is achievable with no financial help from the township.  

Let us also quickly point out a few of the simpler, though also important points, regarding our organization and this project: 

• The Township owns the property on Oakerson Road that houses the Little League Fields.
• The North Howell Little League leases the property from the Township
• The League maintains the property without any help from the town.
• We fertilize, we seed, we cut, we weed, we maintain the clay playing surfaces etc. and we do that ourselves with the help of volunteers. We do not use money from our registration to do these things. Each time we cut the grass, we save the League $450, which is what the former League paid to have the grass cut. Over a full season, the savings is more than $10,000.
• Since the current Board from the North Howell Little League began running the day to day operations of the League we have had two profitable years as compared to the two previous years where more money was spent than received.
• We have achieved this success without requiring our members to sell 50-50’s, which added an additional $100 to the cost of registration under the former organization. We do not ask our members to sell candy at Easter time, or wrapping paper or peanut brittle or cookie dough.
• There are two main reasons for the financial success of our League: 1) Work that used to be paid for, we now perform ourselves, and 2) We have a successful concession stand, in spite of the fact that we have run it out of a broken down trailer. Last year we grossed over $30,000 and netted over $20,000 in profit.
• We have no bathroom facilities and our league’s children, parents, grandparents and visitors must use Porta Johns.
• We provide updated financial reports every two weeks in writing at our regularly scheduled board meetings. We understand that every dollar that comes into our League belongs to the children and families of our League and we owe it to them to let them know where every dime goes.
• We have built a web-site and put our policies on the web in writing.
• We have been committed, as a Board, to total transparency in everything that we do.