Denny’s days officially numbered; district confirms demolition awaits, referendum to go before public

The South River high school football team will play four home games on the field this year at famed Bill Denny Stadium, but no one will be sitting in the large stands on the home side as they have since 1934.

In response to a request for an update by Central Jersey Sports Radio, the district confirmed via email today that “after many years of repairs, our Denny Stadium has reached the end of its lifespan, and is in need of demolition and rebuilding.”

A date for the demolition was not specified, but the district does plan another referendum this fall.

The email – sent by Debra Napolitano, Confidential Secretary to the Superintendent – says “while the bleachers will not be available for use, the district will make seating accommodations for spectators for these games,” but did not provide further details.

There is currently a small section of permanent bleachers on the opposite side of the field from the main stands, generally for use by fans of the visiting team.

The Rams’ four home football games scheduled for this season include:

Saturday, September 2 vs. Metuchen, 1 pm
Saturday, September 23 vs. Spotswood, 1 pm
Saturday, September 7 vs. Delaware Valley, 2 pm
Saturday, October 14vs. Governor Livingston, 1 pm

Longtime South River football coach Rich Marchesi confirmed to Central Jersey Sports Radio back in May that Denny Stadium had been recently condemned by the Board of Education, and the bleachers cordoned off sometime in April, due to safety concerns.

Following that, the district issued a statement saying “The home bleachers at Denny Stadium were built before 1945, and despite ongoing maintenance over the past 80 years, they have unfortunately reached the end of their useful and safe life.” It made no mention of demolition at the time.

The Bill Denny Stadium bleachers were cordoned off this Spring due to safety concerns. Now, the venerable stadium will be demolished, though a date has not yet been set. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

According to a New Jersey 101.5 news story last August, a July 2022 engineers’ report for the school district said the stadium “is at the end of its life cycle” and said it shouldn’t be used after the 2023-24 school year. The report said the stadium was structurally sound, but needed a number of repairs to ensure public safety.

Back in January, a replacement for the stadium complete with stands, press box, concession stands, and ADA-compliant facilities was included in a referendum that also asked residents to approve a new pre-K school to accommodate growing enrollment in town, but that was defeated soundly in January, 882-334. A separate question seeking just the turf field also was defeated by a similar margin.

The bones of Bill Denny Stadium in South River – built in 1938 – are wood, a rare instance these days. This November, the district will put a referendum to voters asking for $5.48 million dollars to build a new stadium. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Now, the district says, it “will once again pursue a referendum on November 7th to cover the cost of this project ($5,475,000). This referendum will be for the stadium and field only, and does not include the Early Learning Center included in last January’s question.”