15 OPEN HOUSES TODAY

Check out this big list HERE to see what your next home may be, or check out the market.

GREAT EVENT FOR FRED PROFETA, AND A GOOD CAUSE, TONIGHT

SOCCER GAMES ARE ON

This from Twitter today:

Cougar Soccer Club ‏@cougar_sc1h

Weather & fields: 4/20 Borden is open for minis & kickers academy. Game on!

DE HART DEBACLE MEANS MAPLEWOODIAN.COM SOFTBALL POSTPONED

So the De hart Debacle has cancelled today's game for our own Maplewoodian.com softball team, as well as other teams.

Nice to see the mess that is the De Hart project remains an embarrassment.

On the good side, our team has been playing well, although losing their first game by a slim 1-0 score. Root them on Monday night at 7:45 p.m. at New Waterlands in South Orange.

MAPLEWOOD FLAGS HONOR BOSTON MARATHON VICTIMS

Gov. Chris Christie's directive that flags be flown at half-staff in honor of those killed and injured in the Boston Marathon is apparently being followed in Maplewood as these photos of flagpoles on township properties indicates:

SEWER TAX BILL HIKE FOR FEE WE SHOULDN'T OWE

We all got our bills this week on the ridiculous annual Sewer Fee charge, yet another of our too-high taxes.

But, alas, the bill was higher this year so we can all help pay for a lawsuit that did not even affect Maplewood.

Note the letter, below, that came with each bill

HERE is background on the whole lawsuit.

POLICE CHIEF TO SPEAK AT HILTON MEETING TONIGHT

The Hilton Neighborhood Association's Thursday, April 18th meeting at 7:30 PM in DeHart Community Center, 120 Burnett Avenue, Maplewood will feature Police Chief Robert Cimino and Township Committee Member Marlon Brownlee, Chairperson of Maplewood's Public Safety Committee. The topic of the meeting is "Community and Crime Deterrence." 

Attendees are invited to bring their questions, concerns and ideas to the meeting which is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact 973-761-4672 or cabms@aol.com

DE HART DEBACLE CONTINUES

PATCH has a great update on the De Hart Park renovation debacle, which is stretching into a third year.

See their great report on this mess HERE and below:

DeHart Field is not yet ready to open for the spring sports season, and there is no definitive date on when it will be, according to township officials.

"We want the field opened as soon as possible," said committeeman Jerry Ryan at Tuesday night's Township Committee meeting. Ryan, who is the community liaison to the Recreation Department Advisory Committee, said the committee is "concerned" and is closely monitoring the situation.

The township's organic fields expert Chip Osborne will be assessing the fields next week and is also helping develop a management plan for the field, said Ryan. The field was reopened last fall after a period of being closed, when a fungal infection ruined the newly planted sod.

(The field has been the subject of controversy over the last few years. After a plan to install artificial turf was defeated in a referendum, the field officially re-opened in December of 2010 with natural grass after a $1.3 million renovation. Later, the town discovered the sod had been incorrectly installed.)

"We want to set a definite date" to open," said Ryan, who later told Patch he had gotten a lot of feedback from residents that DeHart's closure was creating problems with the spring sports schedule. 

Mayor Vic DeLuca said he is concerned about the field opening too soon, before the still-growing grass is sustainable. "I don't know how to speed [that] up," he said. 

Read the rest HERE.