By JUDY RATTNER
The Rockville Centre Athletic Council was formed in January to address the shortage of athletic field availability for school and community sports programs. Its main objective is to maximize field use by high school teams for practices and games, and reduce the competition for playing time. Last March, the council, which is made up of village residents, presented its proposal for football field upgrades to the board, along with plans to privately fund the project through donations and fund-raising activities.
At the crowded meeting, with attendees filling half of the high school auditorium, neighbors of the high school contended that the project would subject them to additional light, noise, traffic and litter, which they say are already problems they deal with on a daily basis. They said they believe their property values would drop by tens of thousands of dollars if the proposal is approved. Of particular concern to the neighbors are the lights, which they said would change the dynamics of the residential neighborhood and usher in a decline in their quality of life.
The council, which had consulted with the school board, said it had already taken into consideration many of the neighbors' concerns. In what council members referred to as a strict policy, the school district would maintain sole control of the fields and the lights, allowing use by high school teams only. Plans call for a curfew of 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday nights and 9 p.m. on Friday nights, with no weekend use of the lights.
The lights would be used for approximately six months, from the beginning of the spring season, in March, until the end of the fall season, in November, with no use during the summer. By purchasing the newest, state-of-the-art, computer-run lights from Musko, a leading company in athletic lighting systems, the council claimed there would be a minimum of light pollution affecting nearby homes.
Council members also said there would be no more than 15 games scheduled on the field each year, and that the number of nights in which there would be more than 100 cars at the school - including games, concerts and Red and Blue, the annual girls' competition, would increase from 90 to 105 under the proposal.
Mark Ahern, speaking on behalf of the council, said his group was proactively addressing other issues of concern to the neighbors. The council has proposed the use of Rockville Centre's auxiliary police to deal with traffic issues, and is starting to work with student groups to reduce litter, in addition to adding trash receptacles on high school grounds. Ahern said the project could not go forward without the lights.
He also said that the group was just beginning to raise money with a few cocktail parties, and that the response of the community was generally positive. Future events would include "Buy a Brick," a dance-a-thon and a fund-raising raffle for a lease on a new Mercedes.
Kelly Carr, speaking for the neighbors, said they can't trust the council or the school board because they should have been informed of the plan in July rather than November. Carr said that the lighting policies set by the current board might be subject to change because board members will change.
Both groups said they wanted to do what was best for the students, and that they expect to meet to discuss the proposal. Ahern said he expects an agreement to be reached.
Lorrie Brady, school board president, agreed that the two groups of citizens have good intentions, and want to do the best for students. She said the job of the board was to try to strike a balance and weigh different priorities, adding that the neighbors' concerns about the lights are genuine. Brady explained that the proposal was not yet finalized, and that the board had not voted on the formal resolution to accept the money the Athletic Council raises.
Brady said she plans to go to John Burns field in Massapequa, where the lights proposed for the South Side field are already installed, to see them for herself. She said she has every reason to believe they would not be as bothersome as the neighbors believe, adding that she expects to be able to reach a "reasonable compromise with a policy to restrict the light to just practices and home games. If the teams don't need them, they won't be on," Brady said.
School board trustee Mark Masin said he "implored [the two groups] to talk to each other. That's the only way a real compromise can be worked out."
Board considers switching start time of elementary, secondary school day
Before opening the meeting to comments on the proposal, Dr. William Johnson, superintendent of Rockville Centre schools, touched on another item on the agenda, telling attendees that the board would be considering swapping the start of the school day for the district's elementary and secondary schools. The elementary schools would start their day at 7:50 a.m. and end it at 2:26 p.m. Zero period at the middle and high schools would start at 8:14 a.m. and first period at 8:45 a.m., and the day would end at 3:20 p.m.
District officials are examining busing schedules, Johnson said. He explained that the board would look at how the change would affect athletic schedules, and said he thought it would accommodate afternoon games. Of the proposed starting-time swap, Johnson said that other districts were already implementing similar measures, while others were considering such a change, and that within a few years it would be the norm, not the exception.
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