Nassau moves to upgrade fields

Improved drainage and turf fields may be coming to Eisenhower Park.

Christina Daly/Herald

The Nassau County Legislature last week approved $10.7 million in spending to replace six natural fields at Eisenhower Park with synthetic turf, and to build one multipurpose turf field. The money would also be used to improve drainage, while adding new lighting, scoreboards, pathways and landscaping, according to the county’s public works department.

The proposal was approved unanimously by the Legislature on Jan. 12, said Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves, adding that many union laborers were at the Legislative session to support it. “The jobs are scarce, “ said Gonsalves, who lives in and represents East Meadow. “This is an opportunity to put some of our people to work.”

Laser Industries, of Ridge, won the competitive bid to do the construction, said Mary Studdert, a spokeswoman for the DPW.

The Legislature approved a similar project three years ago, but it was rejected by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, a control board that must approve all county contracts.

The proposal once again requires NIFA approval. Chairman Jon Kaiman, who joined the board in 2013, said last Thursday that the contract had yet to be submitted to the board. “We’re going to look at this in detail and see how this particular application impacts the larger issues that we’re trying to address,” Kaiman said.

Pressure from union laborers, Kaiman said, will have no impact on the decision. “We understand that a lot of people want a lot of things,” he said. “What we want is the balance sheet to match up.”

The fields set be replaced, said Studdert, are three baseball fields and three softball fields in the park’s Field Four. The multipurpose field, she said, would primarily be used for soccer, lacrosse and football. “The synthetic fields save taxpayers money on significant maintenance costs annually,” Studdert said. “Thereby also increasing revenue to the county.”

Gonsalves added that the work is needed because many of the park’s fields have fallen into “terrible” shape. “This is something that is an added attraction to what Eisenhower Park is all about,” she said. “Providing recreation for our people. It’s a good thing.”