The John J. Byrne Community Center is pursuing a roughly $1.5 million sports complex that would bring two synthetic turf soccer fields, a fitness studio and a walking trail to its community hub on Jerusalem Avenue.
The project is part of what center President David Greaves calls the “One Corridor, Two Campuses Project,” an effort to improve its properties and expand recreational opportunities in Uniondale. The existing soccer fields are included in the center’s agreement for use of the property, but Greaves said they need significant improvements.
The center applied for a $150,000 state matching grant in July to help fund the project. If awarded, the center would need to raise an additional $150,000. Greaves expects to learn by the end of the year whether the grant has been approved.
Regardless of the outcome, Greaves said the center plans to move forward with fundraising. The center’s annual gala, scheduled for Oct. 24 at Hofstra University, will serve as one of its fundraising efforts, with proceeds going toward the potential grant match. As of press time the center has received over $7,000 in donations.
“We’ve always been looking to improve the field,” Greaves said, noting that the community soccer club has helped maintain the property by cutting grass, bringing in dirt, leveling areas and spreading seed. “They have been helping out with our fields.”
With help from another grant, the center purchased 52 trees that members of the soccer club helped plant.
“We really want to make this campus as aesthetic for the community as possible,” Greaves said.
The walking trail is intended to address an interest expressed by residents, but another amenity has also been on the community’s wish list: a public pool. Greaves said residents have repeatedly expressed interest in having one in Uniondale, but maintenance and insurance costs would make it difficult for the center to take on. Its limited control over the broader property would also complicate such a project.
Greaves said the center’s use of the property is governed by an agreement with Nassau Health Care Corporation, which includes the A. Holly Patterson campus. The agreement covers the community center and the fields associated with its use of the property.
“When we got the agreement for this campus, the ball fields were handed to us as part of it,” Greaves said. “That kind of put the ball fields as our responsibility now. The concept plan [NHCC] had for the campus did not include a pool.”
A recently launched fundraising campaign has attracted about a dozen supporters. Greaves is also considering membership options that could eventually generate revenue while giving soccer clubs and other organizations access to the facilities.
Academy Charter School recently contracted with the center to use the fields in a paid-use arrangement, which Greaves emphasized is not a partnership. Students will use the fields for after-school activities.
Greaves said the Uniondale Public Library’s potential move to the A. Holly Patterson site could also complement the center’s plans and bring more families and children to the area.
“Regarding future planning, the library is always exploring innovative ways to better serve our patrons. While any potential relocation to the A. Holly Patterson site remains in the early, exploratory stages of discussion,” library Director Mara Marin stated in an email. “We are energized by the prospect of synergy with our neighbors at the community center.”
