Will Full Court Basketball Come to Meisel?

A communication from Union County indicated that full court basketball may be coming back to Springfield. 

Springfield Township Administrator Anthony Cancro told the Township Committee that Union County had instructed him to make a formal request to have full basketball courts installed at the County-owned Meisel Field. 

Cancro said Union County county officials looked into whether the township's decicison to take down a basketball hoop at Laurel Park violated County grant rules. As Springfield received money from the county for parks, it was believed that taking down the hoops might incur a penalty. 

Cancro told the Township Community that the county ruled in favor of Springfield. He added that the County said he should make a formal request to have the county install full court hoops at Meisel Field. 

One of the Laurel Park court’s hoops was taken down earlier this summer after residents of the neighborhood near the park complained about loutish, unruly and disruptive behavior by players at the park. Similar complaints had led to the town taking down hoops at Smithfield and other parks in 2011 and 2012.

The removal of the hoop irked many Springfield residents. Several insinuated the move was driven by racism, alleging that the neighbors are complaining because black youths—presumed to be from out of town—use the courts.  

The Committee voted to keep the hoop down at their August 28 meeting.