Molloy University is collaborating with the Village of Rockville Centre to replace the turf at the Rockville Centre Athletic Complex on Peninsula Boulevard, a heavily used facility that serves both Molloy’s athletic programs and the surrounding community.
The athletic complex houses multiple fields for soccer, baseball and lacrosse, all surfaced with Astroturf.
Rockville Centre Mayor Francis X. Murray said the village and the university are splitting the cost of the renovation following meetings with Molloy’s president, vice president and athletic director.
“It’s under $600,000,” Murray said. “I believe the cost was around $540,000.”
Molloy Vice President Edward Thompson echoed the mayor’s comments, emphasizing the long-standing partnership between the university and the village.
“We have been a long-term partner with the village,” Thompson said. “We’re paying for half, and we had a nice, positive meeting with the mayor, the deputy mayor and members of the Rockville Centre team.”
The turf replacement began in early December and is expected to take approximately one month to complete, weather permitting. Murray said the work is part of a routine maintenance cycle necessary to ensure athlete safety.
“This is the second time we’ve had to do this,” he said. “The turf gets worn down between eight and 10 years, so to keep our athletes safe at all times, we replace it.”
While the surface is being replaced, the underlying infrastructure will remain intact. Murray said the two to three feet of material beneath the turf does not need to be removed or altered.
“It’s like the foundation of a house,” he said. “You don’t have to take the foundation out when you’re redoing your house.”
The athletic complex serves a wide range of users beyond Molloy, making the renovation beneficial to the broader Rockville Centre community. Local youth leagues, organizations and schools use the fields throughout the year.
“All of our soccer teams use it, the Rockville Centre Soccer League uses it, South Side High School uses it, and obviously Molloy University uses it,” Murray said. “It’s used quite a lot.”
Michael Grasso, interim director of athletics at Molloy University, detailed the university’s use of the facility.
“Currently, Molloy utilizes Darcy Field for men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s lacrosse,” Grasso wrote in an email. “We also utilize Klein Field for softball.”
The agreement between Rockville Centre and Molloy establishes shared responsibility for future turf replacement.
“There’s a contract that whenever the turf needs to be replaced, Molloy will pay half,” Murray said.
That commitment was reaffirmed during meetings between village leaders and Molloy administrators prior to the start of construction. With work now underway, the project reflects continued cooperation between the village and the university in maintaining a shared community asset.
Once completed, the upgraded fields will continue to serve Molloy athletic teams and local organizations, providing a safe and reliable venue for practices and games.
