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IRVINGTON, N.Y. The soggy state of Irvington Middle-High School's athletic fields will be near the top of the agenda for next year's Irvington Board of Education, school board member Robert Grados said Tuesday night.
At this point it's pretty much a safety issue, he said.
Periods of intense rain shut down the athletic fields several times this year because the land was not draining properly, officials said. That meant several soccer games were relocated to the upper field at Dows Lane Elementary.
The drainage issue is not new. School officials have been studying and trying to fix the problem for several years. A $6 million field renovation bond proposal failed in 2008.
Athletic Director Arthur McCormack said the problems at the high school fields are causing a domino effect at Dows Lane. McCormack said the Dows Lane field was designed for field hockey, but the numer of relocated soccer games has made the grass uneven. McCormack did note one good thing: past field aerations at the high school have improved that field's grass.
The drainage is the issue, McCormack said.
Grados said the board should take advantage of the community, where several residents have expressed a willingness to get the fields improved.
School board President John Dawson said two things needed to be done: getting the fields ready for the fall sports season and coming up with a time frame for a long-term solution. Dawson proposed two field aerations, which would break up the fields' compacted soil and help its drainage system, during summer. Assistant Superintendent for Business Beverly Miller said aeration would cost $2,400.
School board members directed school administrators during the meeting to take steps to get the field ready for fall.
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