A grove of 21 veteran Oak and Hickory trees, sitting on a berm, was removed on November 20th, 2023, despite community outcry. The trees were removed to build a new baseball field. Some were trees over 100 years old. Their tree canopy extended thousands of square feet. They provided much needed shade and lowering of temperatures for surrounding homes. They served to mitigate stormwater and as a home for an entire ecosystem of insects and birds. These trees were deeply loved by the surrounding community which is designated by NJDEP as an overburdened one.

The new field at Woodman will be turfed with synthetic turf. Earlier in 2023, additional synthetic turf was placed on the rest of the Aubrey Lewis Sports Complex.

The Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine's Children’s Environmental Health Center submitted a letter to Montclair BOE and the MPS District advising against the installation of artificial turf due to health concerns. The EU and Boston and now the NFL are moving away from the use of these materials. Turf fields are much hotter than grass fields. The NFL Players Association says: "the data is clear that grass is simply safer than artificial turf.”

A large berm will be excavated. Neighbors are deeply concerned about exposure to lead and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) as there is a contaminants Deed Notice filed for this property in 2007 by the BOE with Essex County. A Deed Notice is required when contaminated soils are present, per NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection.

"There is no safe level of lead exposure.” - Mount Sinai Exposomics