How South River can do the replacement of Bill Denny Stadium right. Step One: approve Tuesday’s referendum

Memo to the South River – parents, voters, the Board of Ed – anyone connected to South River High School and specifically the Rams’ storied football program: Don’t be the New York Yankees.

Full disclaimer: I am a Mets fan, and as such, have made only three visits to the Bronx. One was my first baseball game ever, another was a few years later, and the last was shortly after Carlos Delgado’s 2008 home run that was a home run but ruled a foul ball.

But as a Mets fan, I love Citi Field. I miss Shea, as do many who grew up spending a lot of time there. It was a dump, but it was our dump. And it’s time had come.

You might be able to say the same thing about the original Yankee Stadium, which was built in 1923, then renovated in 1974-75, and played its final baseball game in 2008, where the Yankees won umpteen World Championships, where Babe Ruth and countless legends played.

Shea Stadium was not Yankee Stadium. Nor was The Vet, Busch, Three Rivers or Riverfront. So building on another site was no big deal.

But to me, Yankee Stadium will never be Yankee Stadium. That would be like building a new Fenway Park on the waterfront, or Wrigley Field on the South Side, and still calling them Fenway Park.

In South River, the Board of Education has a unique opportunity. It has a chance to prove that it’s committed to athletics, a cornerstone of the South River community for decades upon decades. They’re not moving the football field. No matter what happens in Tuesdays $5.5 million referendum, they will have to build a new football stadium.

The new Bill Denny Stadium will be on the same site as the old Bill Denny Stadium, which, incidentally, lasted longer than the House that Ruth Built by four years.

It’ll still be the same walk from the high school as it’s been since the “new” one opened in 1961. And even if the grass is replaced with turf – as it should be – it will still be the same place Alex Wojciechowicz, Joe Theismann, Drew Pearson, Kenny Jackson, and countless others played at.

Of course, all of this comes back to you, the South River voters. Back in January, a similar referendum was rejected, but that question also included a new school building. This one will be just for the stadium complex, with a cost of $5,475,000, to pay for a new stadium, turf field, and concession stand. Of course, at that time, Bill Denny Stadium was still operational. A yes vote will mean a facility South River student-athletes, parents, fans, alumni and community members can be proud of, if it’s all done the right way. A no vote means the plan will be pared back, corners will be cut, and there’s less of a chance it will have the homey feel of the old place. And it’ll further delay construction, leaving football without a stadium for fans to watch for potentially years to come, while eliminating the ability to play on the new turf for the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, who ostensibly would move to the new Denny Stadium once the turf is finished.

Polls are open from 6 am to 8 pm Tuesday. Find the question on the sample ballot here.

Now, if voters do say yes, here are five ways everyone in South River – and I do mean everyone – can get this right:

1. Keep the name “Bill Denny Stadium”: There’s no need to make a name change. It’ll be in the exact same place, and the man is still revered in South River, where he coached for 35 years. There’s still the “Bill Denny/Rutgers Football Letterwinners Chapter” of the National Football Foundation. Keep the name Bill Denny Stadium.

2. Build a replica of Bill Denny Stadium: This is the one place where you do want to be like the Yankees, who brought back the original exterior facade of the 1923 stadium, and the returned the frieze to top the main grandstand, after it was moved to the outfield in the 1974/5 renovation. There’s nothing like that at Denny, but keep a similar profile to the original. Keep the large press box, which was enough to fit the PA, home and visiting coaches, TV35 announcers Fred Roselli and Art Londensky, and (selfishly) another broadcast team (like ours). And elevate it high enough that there’s space for the imposing grey letters that spell out “RAM.” While we’re at it, make enough room to drop an “S” on the end, and maybe even add the Rams’ logo, too. Keep the bleachers the full length of the field, rather than making them higher. And by all means, have some trim, railings or base panels than can be in the South River colors of maroon and grey.

3. Find a way to honor the greats: Wojciehowicz, Theismann, Pearson, Jackson and Elmer Stout are the five players who have had their numbers retired in South River. Their names used to adorn the outside of the stadium, but were taken down at some point several years ago – perhaps for a paint job or maintenance? – and never returned. It was how I knew to turn down Arlington Avenue because I could see them while waiting with me left blinker on to turn off Old Bridge Turnpike on my way over from a morning news shift on WCTC. Put them on the outside, or the inside, but put them back up!!

4. Forget the concession stands, build locker rooms: Again, this may be a selfish request, as a media member, to avoid seemingly half-hour halftimes, since it’s a long walk back to the high school, but I’m sure Rich Marchesi would appreciate for his home team – and so would all their visitors – having on-site locker rooms. With a turf field – no need to store lawnmowers anymore! – there could certainly be space for locker rooms in the “new” Denny Stadium.

5. Get input: Ask the student-athletes, the coaches, the fans what they would like to see at the “new” Denny Stadium. A referendum will have a better chance of success when the community is involved. Answer questions, get feedback, see what you can work into the plans.

Yes, this one truly will take a village.