BOE discusses plans for central field

MILLBROOK — At the Millbrook Central School District Board of Education (BOE) meeting held on Monday, July 18, board members discussed the possibility of replacing the central field inside the track with artificial turf; it currently has a natural grass field. The discussion was presented by Superintendent Lloyd Jaeger along with a number of other issues affecting the district. The discussion of natural versus artificial turf has been ongoing for several years. The debate centers around which is more beneficial for the district economically, as well as which is more practical. The topic was first brought up for consideration when the board did a comprehensive facilities project assessment, said Jaeger. The board worked with Mosaic Architects to help evaluate the needs of the buildings and athletic fields. The evaluation included evaluating possible upgrades like the replacement of the roof system at Alden Place Elementary School, replacement of the heating system with improvements to the electric system at the middle school and refurbishing the athletic facilities. The athletic field package consists of a variety of big changes, including a possible six-lane synthetic track and reconstruction of the tennis courts, softball, soccer and baseball fields. The board discussed whether to consider a full package for the athletic facilities, which includes outdoor lighting for the fields, bleachers, press box and a concession stand. Currently that package includes natural turf for the main field, but if the artificial turf is chosen the possibility of incorporating the lighting, bleachers, press box and concession stand may get removed from the renovation plans because of the price of the artificial field. All of these refurbishments have been a top priority for the board for many years. However, plans still remain at the discussion stage. The question of whether to choose natural grass versus artificial turf for the central field remains — it’s a vital part of the decision-making process and must be decided before the district can move forward with its plans.“One possibility was to think about the use of an artificial field within a new track complex because we don’t have supplementary practice fields,” said Jaeger. “It came up as one option that the board could think about as a way of replacing and improving the field, which definitely needs to be done.”Jaeger said that the field inside the track, which the football and lacrosse teams primarily practice on, is burned out and overused. The track surrounding the field is currently unusable because it is not regulation size and is not of a high enough quality to be used as a competition track.“That discussion [is] whether it’s best to replace it with a new natural turf and grow it new while trying to keep it well irrigated,” said Jaeger, “or to replace it with an artificial surface.”Christine Ackerman, assistant to the superintendent for curriculum, suggested the school board ask families and students who use the athletic facilities for their input on which surface they prefer and which they believe is more beneficial to the district. The board welcomes suggestions from the public on the issue, said Jaeger, who suggests community members interested in this topic attend the next Board of Education meeting, scheduled for Aug. 15.

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