To turf or not to turf?
Lynbrook school district prepares report for the community to explore options for gridiron
Several school officials and community members formed a committee last month to weigh the pros and cons of bringing an athletic turf field to one of the district’s schools.
One of their most important tasks is to put together a research report, which officials hope will be ready by February.
“We established a committee to examine the idea of a turf field in Lynbrook, “ said Dr. Santo Barbarino, superintendent of schools. “The committee is looking at other turf fields [in local areas] and looking at [our] schools’ tracks.”
The committee, that includes Barbarino, Assistant Superintendent of Business Dr. Melissa Burak, District Facilities Director Al Scotto, District Athletics Director Tom Graham, and Michael McDougal, district grounds supervisor is examining the location and usage of all of the district’s fields including those as South Middle School and Marion Street School, where the Lynbrook Owls currently practice. “We are trying to determine how the turf field best serves the sports teams in term of its location,” Barbarino added.
“We did come to some consensus as to what would be the best location,” said Burak at a Nov. 10 Board of Education meeting. “We have listed in priority order what we feel the needs of the district are.” Burak added that the members were visiting different fields and facilities like St. Anthony’s High School in Melville and working with an architect. They want to develop a vision for what they want the field complex to look like at a chosen location, which is recommend to the board, Burak said.
They also plan to bring in vendors to get cost estimates and then present their findings to the board and community at a February board meeting. The presentation will include a report, which includes information on costs, field usage at each of the district schools, considered locations, benefits of a turf field like lights, bleachers and locker rooms and what it takes to maintain the district’s fields without bringing in synthetic turf.
“The presentation is to give everyone a good idea of what is involved to pursue a turf field for the Lynbrook School District,” Barbarino said. “The board has to vote on it.”
