From Grass to Turf: Millburn Plans Major Athletic Field Transformation

By: Talia Brookhim

At Millburn High School, a new turf field replacement project is being set into place in the grass back fields. The project aims to upgrade the school’s athletic facilities to better meet the needs of students and the community, due to increasing demand for field space and poor infrastructure. This includes two multi-purpose fields, featuring a varsity baseball field, as well as lighting on the fields, including Miller Field.

Currently, the high school is at a 16% deficit, about 1,500 hours in the spring and fall, affecting sports such as soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and flag football. This is primarily due to a lack of high-quality fields, resulting in cancellations, postponements, and scheduling conflicts among community, recreational, and high school programs.

By installing these new turf complexes, there will be an additional 1,120 playable hours for community programs, reducing cancellations and scheduling conflicts, and improving the experience and safety during play. Furthermore, maintenance will become less demanding due to fewer irrigation issues from rain and less grass area to maintain.

The total turfing expense is estimated at around $4 million, with major costs attributable to drainage and the synthetic turf itself. In addition, the lighting installation is approximately $3.5 million, bringing the overall cost to about $7.4–$7.5 million. This project is planned to be funded by the Board of Education and the Township of Millburn as a collaboration, utilizing the Joint Facilities Committee and Fund, which focuses on current and future field needs and improvements. There is no expected future tax impact from this renovation. The township plans to generate revenue through lighting fees, private clubs or programs using the fields, and private donors contributing to the project.

Construction is set to begin in summer 2026, starting with the lighting installation of Miller Field to improve playable hours, and is expected to be completed before March 2027.

Overall, this program is intended to benefit the community and athletics greatly. First-year High school teams will be able to use the new turf fields instead of Citizens Field, which had previously been used due to limited space and poor field conditions. Additionally, girls’ flag football teams are currently subject to late practice times due to limited field availability. With the sport expected to become a varsity sport in the near future, the school requires additional multi-purpose fields.

However, the project could expand even further in the future. Plans outline the possibility of turfing and lighting the entire athletic complex, which would allow for additional features such as a full-size cricket field and expanded bleacher seating for spectators. This option would come at a significantly higher cost, estimated at $14 million to $16 million, but it remains a potential add-on rather than part of the current proposal.

Additional information can be found on the township website: https://nj-millburntownship.civicplus.com/821/Proposed-HS-Field-Project.