RVC, Molloy announce $6 million sports proposal

Molloy College and the Village of Rockville Centre are working to finalize a deal which would see the college pay for upgrades to four athletic fields in the village, in return for gaining home fields for its students. To the left and below are renderings of the proposed plans for the athletic field improvements. The map below shows plans for Centennial Park at Mill River.

Courtesy Village of RVC

In a statement the village released to the Herald on Monday, Mayor Francis Murray has announced a proposed agreement with Molloy College to upgrade four existing athletic fields with synthetic turf and to create one new one, providing multi-purpose playing fields for soccer, baseball, softball, field hockey and lacrosse.

The initial plan, introduced last year that would have partnered Molloy with Bay Park, did not go through.

According to the proposal, Molloy would pay the full $6 million cost of the upgrades at the Skelos Sports Complex, Lister Field and Centennial Park in return for gaining home fields for its softball, field hockey and baseball teams.

In making his announcement, the mayor said the proposal may still be subject to state and local legislative review.

“When this agreement is completed, it will be a win-win for Molloy and for the residents of Rockville Centre,” Murray said. “Our local sports organizations are gaining first-class, synthetic surface fields where now they have many fields in terrible condition.

“Rockville Centre’s fields are going from worst to first, all at no cost to the taxpayers,” the mayor said.

“We continue to attract young families to Rockville Centre with our vibrant downtown and our superb public and private schools. And now we have the opportunity to make our fields the best in Nassau County,” he said.

The proposal calls for the creation of three multiple-use, synthetic turf fields meeting National Collegiate Athletic Association standards for field hockey, baseball and softball, and at the same time expanding the number of fields available to Rockville Centre’s sports organizations.

The Rockville Centre Soccer Club would be able to use three new synthetic turf fields, two new natural turf fields and two new practice fields — one synthetic turf and one natural.

“We are excited to have these village athletic fields developed to a level that reflects the outstanding quality of our athletic programs,” said Soccer Club President Patti Leboff.

“The Rockville Centre Soccer Club would like to thank Molloy College, Mayor Murray and his administration for their teamwork bringing these impressive improvements to our village,” she said.