Millburn families get their formal chance to weigh in Wednesday, July 15, on a $7.6 million plan to replace the natural grass athletic fields at Millburn High School with synthetic turf and lights.

The Millburn Planning Board is holding a Capital Project Review public hearing at 7:30 p.m. at the Board of Education's Education Center Building, 434 Millburn Avenue. The project has divided the community for months, pitting parents who say children need playable fields against residents and environmental commissioners who cite health risks, flooding concerns, and cost.

The plan calls for converting the high school's natural turf fields at 462 Millburn Avenue to synthetic surfaces and adding lighting to Miller Field. The Township and Board of Education are splitting the cost evenly under a shared services agreement approved in February 2026. EI Associates Architecture Engineering Construction is the project's engineer, authorized at $192,500 for design services.

As of the Board of Recreation Commissioners' May 13 meeting, the Board of Education planned to go out to bid June 8, award the contract July 21, begin construction in late August, and finish by February 2027. Neither the bid nor the contract award has been publicly confirmed.

The Millburn Environmental Commission passed Resolution EC-0001-2026 on February 20 by a 6-1 vote, urging the Township Committee and Board of Education to stop funding synthetic turf projects and invest in natural grass instead. The resolution cited pending state legislation, a 2022 NJDEP technical memorandum warning athletes to avoid extended exercise on synthetic turf in summer due to heat-illness risk, and recommendations against synthetic turf from the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center.

The Commission also raised site-specific concerns in letters to the NJDEP dated April 24 and May 14. About half of Multi-Purpose Field No. 2 falls within a regulated Flood Hazard Area, according to the Commission's review, and the seasonal high groundwater table may not leave enough vertical space for the required stormwater storage system. A Princeton Hydro study cited in the letter found that storm events exceeding the 25-year threshold would overtop the fields.

More than 375 residents signed a Millburn Climate Action petition opposing the turf plan, according to public comment at the Township Committee's March 17 meeting.

On the other side, Millburn Soccer Club co-president Lee Kirschbaum told the Open Space Advisory Committee on February 25 that synthetic turf is "the only viable solution to address the town's poor field conditions and growing deficit of playable space for nearly 1,000 children."

Township Committee member Ben Stoller said at the March 17 meeting that the existing fields were "an embarrassment" and he was excited to move the project forward. The Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Committee voted 5-3 on March 6 to advance the project, capping annual Open Space Fund use at 25%. Supporters also point to cost-per-hour data presented at that meeting: synthetic turf runs about $98 per playable hour versus $371 for natural grass.

The Township Committee passed the field improvement bond ordinance on April 7.

If the Planning Board does not complete its review Wednesday, the next scheduled meeting is Wednesday, August 19, at 7:30 p.m. at 434 Millburn Avenue. The NJDEP flood hazard permit remains pending; Mayor Frank Saccomandi reported on May 19 that the applicant had responded to DEP comments, but no permit decision has been publicly announced.