MAMARONECK UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

1000 W. Boston Post Road * Tel. 914 220-3070

JOAN ROSENMamaroneck, NY 10543     * Fax:  914 220-3010

Office of Public InformationRosenj@mamkschools.org

PRESS RELEASE

November 15, 2006

At its meeting on November 14, 2006, the Mamaroneck School Board shared potential alternative solutions to the district’s need for additional athletic fields that would allow the district to preserve the Kemper memorial in its current location and maintain the current configuration of the park.  Although the district won the legal right to move the monument with the NY Appellate Court having decided the deed permits the reconfiguration of the park, the board has always desired to find an alternative solution. The Board stated its intention several months ago to reexamine all district property and to meet with municipal leaders to try finding new alternative solutions.  “We are very hopeful that this cooperative effort will allow us to  develop a plan to address the needs of our students as well as respect the interest of those in the community who want the Kemper Memorial to be preserved in its current configuration” stated Cecilia Absher, School Board president.

The Board’s objective is to provide adequate field space to meet our current and anticipated needs for the District’s athletic programs on district owned property. This will allow the district more flexibility to accommodate district programs and the community youth sports programs more access to community owned fields.  The District intends to make its fields available for community use when not needed to accommodate District programs.

In order to accomplish this goal it is essential that the new proposal include artificial turf, which has greatly improved in the past several years, and lights - which also have improved in terms of being highly focused on the playing area with minimum spillage of light beyond the field. These two in combination will allow more flexibility in scheduling activities, from stacking practices from afternoon into the evening, to allowing night games on weekends, to reducing cancellations due to bad weather or poor field conditions. As was evident on Homecoming Weekend this fall, evening sporting events provide a wonderful community activity for teens, families and community members.

Bari Suman, Director of Athletics, presented the two alternatives under serious consideration. She stated that there are currently in the district 73 interscholastic teams which include 30 field teams. Only 10 of these teams regularly play and practice on school fields. All others have scheduled practices and games on community owned fields. The plans are preliminary and are subject to assessing their feasibility, obtaining appropriate state education department approvals and obtaining funding. 

FIRST ALTERNATIVE:

•Memorial Field, a varsity sized multi-purpose field would be converted to artificial turf and lights would be added.

•An additional practice area at Memorial would be created by moving the visitors’ bleachers and using the portion of land that abuts the Town Center slope. This might allow three practices to be held simultaneously by running them perpendicular to the normal use of the field.

•Bleachers would be extended on the home side to accommodate all spectators.

•Manchester Field, which includes the current baseball field and a practice field, would be converted to a multi purpose field to accommodate baseball and all field sports except girls’ lacrosse and football. There are several options for the baseball field which would need to be explored including relocating the dugouts by partially sinking them into the ground. It includes a removable pitching mound. A field like this is in use in Harrison and has been visited by several board and athletic department members. The track would remain in its current location around the multipurpose field.

•At Central School a multipurpose turf field would be created in the area currently fenced in. While not varsity sized, it could accommodate modified field sports and possibly modified softball as well as youth games.

SECOND ALTERNATIVE:

•Memorial Field, a varsity sized multi-purpose field would be converted to artificial turf and lights would be added, as above. However, this alternative would add a regulation oval track surrounding the field.  It might require that the field be reoriented slightly.

•As above, the bleachers would be extended on the home side to accommodate all spectators.

•Manchester Field, without the track, could be converted to two varsity sized multi-purpose turf fields with lights.

•The baseball field would be accommodated on one of the two fields and the dugouts would need to be relocated.

•As above, at Central School a multipurpose turf field would be created in the area currently fenced in. This would accommodate modified field sports and possibly modified softball as well as youth games.

•There has not yet been a determination that this alternative will fit.

The next step is to undertake a feasibility analysis to determine whether these proposals are achievable. The Board will schedule a public study session to review the proposals once the feasibility study is concluded and further input will be welcome.

Beginning in October the Board met with District coaches and key user groups to share these ideas. They were very supportive of these efforts and enthusiastic about the possibilities.   Dr. Fried concluded that “We are encouraged by the positive feedback we have received thus far to these proposals and look forward to continuing to work closely with the three municipal leaders, the athletic groups, the Fields for Kids organization, parents and other community members, including a number of veterans who have expressed support for the District and Board’s efforts to create a solution that would allow the Kemper park and memorial to remain intact.  We look forward to hearing more from the community as our work progresses and hope these alternatives will help our District and community meet the need to provide adequate field facilities.”