It’s time to play ball at Crawford Park
September 5, 2024 at 12:01 a.m.
For the first time in 50 years, Crawford Park’s athletic fields are looking brand new.
The baseball diamond and adjoining soccer pitch have been under construction all summer, an effort to replace the grass field believed to be original to the property when Edna and Everett Crawford donated the land to the Town of Rye in the 1970s.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Friday, Aug. 30, to reopen the playing space to the public five months after breaking ground on the renovation project in March. Though some in attendance were celebrating being able to use the fields after five months of waiting, others saw it as a culmination of five years of work.
“It’s been a long process,” Town of Rye Supervisor Gary Zuckerman said. “We made our initial request in 2019, but we really didn’t get grants done until two years ago.”
His administration had been working with State Senator Shelley Mayer and Assemblyman Steve Otis to ease the $331,000 price tag attached to the renovation.
“Steve and I certainly put some work into this, but the credit really goes to the Town of Rye,” Mayer said. “Not everyone sticks it out through this process. They just kept working at it, through elections and COVID-19. But they stuck with it and ended up with this beautiful field.”
Four-year-old Armett Street resident Iker Lalvay, one of the youngest players with Pitch Gladiators Soccer Academy, gets some tips from Coach Edwin Cozar during their first practice on the new field at Crawford Park.By David Tapia
The local representatives secured a $200,000 State and Municipal Program grant for the project. The remaining $131,000 was covered by the Town.
Zuckerman said once the funds were received in August 2022, there were still decisions that had to be made.
“Once we had the grant, that’s when we could start the planning and designing of the fields,” he said. “Then we went out to bid and finally, we had to time when the work would actually happen.”
As construction is dependent on weather, work couldn’t begin until the spring. On top of that, since the Town opted for natural grass instead of artificial turf, there was an additional waiting period once the project was complete.
“Because we opted for that, we had to let the field sit for several weeks,” Zuckerman said. “That’s done to be sure that the roots all take.”
At the ceremony, members of the Pitch Gladiators Soccer Academy and 10U Port Chester Youth Baseball League (PCYBL) Pirates girls’ softball team stood behind the local politicians, ready to get some playing time on the fields.
Mayer spoke on the importance of youth sports as spaces for children to learn key skills like teamwork and how to lose graciously, while Zuckerman lauded his team for their work in getting the project done.
The supervisor cut the ribbon with assistance from Port Chester resident Mia Carranza, a member of the softball team. Once the cloth was snipped, the budding athletes sprinted onto the fields, eager to break them in.
John Giordano, the 10U PCYBL softball coach, shared in their excitement.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on the progress here for a while,” he said. “Because I live in the area, I would frequently drive by and watch the construction. As it got closer and closer to being completed, I was hoping the girls would be able to play there.”
The newly formed team has reserved the space for the fall season to practice and host matches.
Kathy Medero, who was at the event representing the Pitch Gladiators, said the group had anxiously been waiting for the space to reopen. During the construction period, they had been using the lower field.
“We’ve had our practices here for a couple of years now,” she said. “So we’re really excited to see how it is now. It’s a beautiful field now, and I’m sure the kids really appreciate it.”
Rye Town Administrator Debbie Reisner said seeing the reaction from the young athletes has made the work worth the time it took.
“Being able to witness this really demonstrates the value projects like this have on the community,” she said as she watched some of the softball players race around the bases. “I think I’m not the only one to say I’m thrilled with how well it turned out.”
Though the fields have been completed and opened to the public, Town officials made note of one more addition coming to the park.
“We had a very recent donation to go along with (the fields) from the Welde family,” Reisner said. “It’s a water fountain, bottle filler and dog bowl all in one.”
The gift was made by Jack Welde to honor his late wife Ashley, a former Blind Brook Board of Education trustee and active Rye Brook community member who died of cancer last September. Zuckerman said it will be installed at the pavilion near the fields.
Zuckerman said the field renovation was part of the Town of Rye’s goal of making the park a staple for all the communities it encompasses.
“We’re trying to make the park as busy as possible,” he said. “It’s for Rye Brook, Port Chester and we’d love to reach out to Rye Neck as well.”
To encourage that, the park will be used as part of a cross-country invitational on Sept. 25. Port Chester, Blind Brook, Rye and Rye Neck high schools will send their athletes to compete in the run. Both Crawford and Rye Hills parks will serve as the venue for the event, and the roadway leading to the area will be closed at 2 p.m. to allow space for the runners.
“It’s the first time we’re doing this kind of thing,” Rye Town Director of Parks and Facilities Vic Federico said. “But we’re hoping to make it a yearly event.”
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