Construction at Fireman’s Field to begin in Rockville Centre

As the Herald went to press on Tuesday, work on the parking project at Fireman’s Field, adjacent to South Side High School — the topic of lengthy and sometimes contentious negotiations among the village, the school district and the Fire Department, was set to begin later this week.

“We’re ready to roll, I think,” Schools Superintendent Dr. William Johnson said at the Board of Education’s public work session on Monday night. Asking for the board’s authorization to attend a construction meeting scheduled for Wednesday, at which he would give the district’s final approval, Johnson told trustees and administrators that the construction bid came in at $198,455 and that, in addition to paving, the village would pay for the field’s drainage, some curbing and the installation of infrastructure for lighting.

Work can begin by the end of this week, Johnson said, with paving expected to be completed by Sept. 18. There will be no student parking on Thursday and Friday, and the district will use extra personnel to guide staff members’ and administrators’ cars into an area of the tarmac that will accommodate them during the construction. The village has indicated that the Knollwood Road gate to Fireman’s Field, long closed to traffic, will be open during that time.

The new parking field will have a minimum of 182 spaces, giving the district 50 additional spots that will be used for staff and visitor parking and enabling it to open other spots to alleviate parking congestion on surrounding streets. Johnson said he believes the village is committed to beautifying the new parking lot with trees and shrubs which Mayor Francis Murray said would be planted next spring.

“I think it will be great for the community, especially our residents near the high school, who have had many concerns,” Murray said. “It’s great to have our Fire Department and public schools working together with the village government.”