Planned Veterans Field Building Comes Into Focus

The township will seek price quotes on a smaller-than-originally planned concession/restroom building at Veterans Field along with an option for an attached storage facility that could be funded by the Southampton Soccer Association.

The township initially planned a prefabricated, 1,045-square-foot building. But township architectural consultant Jennifer Stark said money could be saved by building the structure and got an estimate of $160,000. The soccer group, meanwhile, was planning a separate storage building at the field, budgeting $10,000 to $15,000.

However, Supervisors Chairwoman Lola Biuckians said at Tuesday's board meeting that the township recently received an estimate of $210,000 for a combined building. She asked Soccer Association President Bill Clark if his group is willing to pick up the extra $50,000 cost.

“We've already told our staff we can't afford a $210,000 building." she said. "It's not going to happen.” 

Clark said the association likes the idea of a single building and is willing to contribute financially. But he said he could not promise a specific amount until he meets with his board, something he said could happen very quickly.

Clark said the group also is willing to offer its members' expertise in installing a planned playground at the field, which has an estimated cost of $50,000. And, he added, the association would like to pick up the $10,000 to $13,000 annual cost of maintaining two planned soccer fields there.

Stark explained that the size of the building, not including the storage space, has been decreased to 875 square feet because there has been agreement the concession area doesn't need to be as big as first planned. That means the building would cost less than the $160,000 estimate but she said she couldn't yet say how much less.

The storage space wanted by the association, Stark said, could be bid out as an alternate.

“It would be like adding a little wing,” she said.

“And this gives you the opportunity to opt out,” she added while talking to Clark.

Putting up one building is beneficial from a financial and ecological standpoint but the township and association “have to be comfortable with the financial arrangement,” Stark said.

which Tuesday was officially renamed by ordinance Veterans Field. A memorial also is planned, with an estimated cost of $15,000 to $20,000.

The township has budgeted close to $1.27 million for the entire project, with $794,900 coming from general funds and $470,982 from open space funds. That makes a cost reduction for the concession/restroom building an apparent priority.