BBSD unveils new sports field
August 21, 2024 at 11:51 p.m.
After five months without a space to play, Blind Brook Trojans will once again have a home field to play on this fall.
The multipurpose athletic field, used for football, soccer and lacrosse, was shuttered after it failed a safety test in March. The baseball field went down next, when impact examinations yielded similar concerns.
Both greenspaces had surpassed their expected lifespan of 10 to 12 years by five years.
The shuttering of the athletic spaces left the district searching for a speedy solution.
After consulting with BBS Architects, the Board of Education settled on dipping into its reserves to fund the replacement of the multipurpose field. The rest of the repairs will need to be funded through a bond, should the public approve of it.
The first part of that plan began on May 21, when Blind Brook residents voted to use up to $1.2 million from the Capital Reserve Fund for the field replacement project. The next day, the contract was awarded to LandTek Group, Inc. for $937,900. According to Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Facilities Laurie Baum, the $260,000 difference was a result of the district’s conservative estimate for the field replacement.
Crews broke ground in June and the district made several updates on the construction progress as the weeks went on. At the Aug. 7 school board meeting, Superintendent Colin Byrne announced work was complete and invited residents to an opening ceremony.
On Tuesday, Aug. 20, two dozen members of the community joined district staff and administrators to formally open the new multipurpose field.
“We’re very excited about this and we’re very happy that we were able to do this in such a short time,” Byrne said at the event. He commended Athletic Director Kim Saxton for her efforts to keep spring sports alive by finding alternative fields for them to use on short notice in March.
“She made sure that our athletics program ran smoothly through our bumps last school year,” he said.
The brief ceremony culminated with several Blind Brook athletes joining the board on the field to cut a ribbon. After rising junior Tyler Taerstein, a varsity boys lacrosse player, made the snip, attendees were invited to test out the field for themselves.
Jason Einaugler, the varsity boys’ lacrosse coach, gathered his players together to discuss their practice plans for their next season and get a feel for the new turf.
“I’m really impressed. It’s probably one of the nicest fields in Section 1,” he said as he stood on the logo at centerfield. “And it really came together very quickly. Getting a field together in three months? That’s pretty exceptional. I’m very excited for my players to get their time on it.”
Ryan Stern, a rising sophomore, spent some time kicking a ball with other soccer players.
The group shared their observations about the feel of their steps, how the ball bounced and whether they thought they would get used to it in the fall.
The 15-year-old said he was excited mostly because having a home field was better than the alternative.
“I was worried we were going to have to share the King Street fields with all the other teams,” he said. “I think things could have gotten really difficult just in terms of scheduling things.”
With the field reopened, a large portion of Blind Brook athletes will be able to resume their practices and games as they were expecting to. Additionally, students have regained the venue for Senior Day, Homecoming and the Blind Brook High School graduation ceremony.
However, the fate of the baseball field is still up in the air.
The board is in the process of developing a bond proposal which would be voted on during a referendum on Oct. 22 should it be approved on Wednesday, Aug. 28 as planned.
Stern, who made the varsity baseball team last year, said he was hoping for a quick turnaround on that field, too.
“I know that we’ll still be playing somewhere, but it’s really hard on me when I don’t have a home field,” he said. “It just feels like you’re on the road all the time and that kind of thing can get in your head and take its toll on you.”
After the ceremony, the district invited attendees into the Middle/High School to attend the second and final Town Hall regarding the bond. Less than half made the walk over.
Comments:
You must login to comment.