By Jennifer Marino
Although kids have been using the North Park on Peninsula Boulevard for years, the fields were not officially the village's property. Saturday at 12:15 p.m. Pataki will seal the deal. Soon after a $4 million renovation project will begin.
Renovations include enhanced soccer, lacrosse and baseball fields, additional and improved restrooms, enlarged parking facilities, scoreboards, lighting and bleachers. The work is necessary to improve the facilities, which were certainly in disrepair, and to increase the availability of the fields, according to Anthony Brunetta, superintendent of parks and recreation.
Thanks in part to a million-dollar grant received through Sen. Dean Skelos, Rockville Centre will soon be home to what Trustee Mary Bossart calls a premiere facility. In addition to the grant and monies already allocated to the rehabilitation, the village board approved a $1.2 million bond for the project last month.
The completion date is tentatively set for spring 2003.
I think it's an absolutely wonderful thing for the community, Bossart said.
This project began back in the early 1990s when former trustee Bud Cosgrove and Mayor [Eugene] Murray first asked for my assistance, Skelos said.
In those days, Cosgrove helped head up the move to get the land and improve it. The Youth Program's need for playing space and the brand new Rockville Centre Lacrosse Club spurred the effort to gain active space for the village Cosgrove recounted. The school district fields were booked solid, he said.
Local and state officials decided a land swap with New York state was the answer, since the state was looking for picnic space and Rockville Centre had that to spare. Skelos thanks Governor Pataki for being a great friend to Rockville Centre.
The land has been kept usable, while the deal to transfer the deed was in the process of becoming official. Once they were open, it was an instant success, said Cosgrove. Hundreds of youngsters were using it. There were soccer, baseball and lacrosse games going on simultaneously.
The space adds to the dozen fields that are already in Rockville Centre.
The renovations may attract even more residents. The lighting will allow night games and the expanded parking facilities and bleachers could help lure sports aficionados. The kids keep calling it a stadium. They think they'll be playing in Giants Stadium, and to them it will be, said Jim Lucas, a member of the board of directors for the Rockville Centre Lacrosse Club.
Currently, there are six-foot chain-link fences around the lacrosse field. It's kind of like going to the zoo now, said Lucas.
My family and I have been very active over the years in the outstanding sports programs available in Rockville Centre so I take great pride in helping my hometown improve the facilities that benefit the youth and families of our community, said Skelos.
Lucas cites the number of Rockville Centre lacrosse players at premiere colleges around the country, Duke, Penn State, John Hopkins, Harvard, to emphasize the importance of sports in young people's lives.
It's shocking that it's going to be a reality finally, said Lucas. The nine years have been long, but everyone seems to think they're worth it.
It's a win for everybody, said Cosgrove.
Public welcome
There is limited parking at the fields so those interested in attending Saturday's ceremony may want to park on the east side of North Village Ave. and on the surrounding side streets. The fields can be accessed by the Bulson Road footbridge. If there is bad weather, the ceremony will be held at South Side Middle School.
