Thursday, March 20, 2025
It’s almost time to play ball at Town Park at Point Lookout.
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin, the town board and other local officials gathered and broke ground on Jan. 30 at the future site of two artificial turf fields to be used for a variety of sports games and practices. They are hopeful the fields will be completed by mid-summer.
The two fields, which will sit side by side, will be a total of 390 feet long and 488 feet wide. The playable portion will be 360 feet long and 210 feet wide. The project will cost about $8 million. The fields are a budgeted expense for the town that will be recouped through sponsorships, field rentals and more.
“This is an investment for our community,” Clavin said. “This is a multi-million-dollar investment we are making in the town for our people and our kids that live here. That is the most important investment we can make.”
Lines will be drawn on the two fields for lacrosse, field hockey and soccer, and goal posts will be installed for each sport. The project will include an electronic scoreboard, as well as lights so the fields can be used at night.
The fields will be made of a synthetic turf sub-base, according to officials, who added that drainage and irrigation systems will be installed to help prevent flooding, as well as chain link and mesh fences surrounding the outside of the area.
“We’re making this investment in the town because we want our kids to participate in sports, of course, and we want them to have a great place, but there’s nothing better than doing it at home,” Clavin said. “This is such a winning combination that we can have this facility right here. You’ll be able to come see your kids, your grandkids, you can enjoy the beautiful day down here at the beach, you can go to one of the local restaurants right here at Point Lookout, or one of the local stores and support them.”
The fields will be lined for all age and skill levels, from young athletes to professionals. The complex, which has yet to be named, will be available to all local leagues, as well as tournament organizers across the country.
Clavin said the town worked with teams and coaches in the area to determine what kind of field and complex suited them best.
Gordon Purdie, men’s lacrosse coach at Adelphi University, said he’s looking forward to the new fields, saying they offer the opportunity for all local kids to maximize them. Tanner Sands, general manager of the Long Island Rough Riders, a local soccer organization that runs leagues, games and clinics for all ages, echoed his excitement, adding that the fields will allow them the opportunity to continue branching out and offering their services.
“We share the vision that sports has a very unique ability to bring people together and to community-build,” Sands said. “Through many different avenues, we look forward to bringing them to this beautiful complex.”
LandTek, a Bay Shore-based specialized civil contracting company that focuses on the design, construction and maintenance of athletic facilities across the East Coast, will be responsible for building the new fields. Repeating LandTek’s motto, “Building champions from the ground up,” former New York Jet Marty Lyons, the company’s senior vice president, said the fields would do just that.
“We are investing in the future, and the best investment in the future are our kids,” Lyons said.
The new sports facility will not have any vendors on-site, according to Clavin, so that people using the fields could patronize restaurants, ice cream shops, stores, and more in Point Lookout, Lido Beach and Long Beach.
“I can’t wait for you to come play here,” Clavin said. “Go have some pizza and go fishing at Point Lookout, get a little something at Marvel and, even though Long Beach is a separate city, you can go give them some business too, because they’re our good friends.”
