Written by Carol P. Bartold

Jan. 21, 2015: Bronxville residents concerned about issues surrounding tomorrow's referendum had their last opportunity to air their comments publicly at the January 15 Bronxville Board of Education meeting.

Voters will address two propositions in the referendum, one to approve the sale of $861,238 in tax-free bonds to fund the school district's portion of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Midland Valley Drainage Project and a second proposition to authorize the district to use up to $2.2 million from the district-wide improvements capital reserve fund to pay for the reconfiguration of Hayes Field.

Resident Spencer Pingel expressed concern about the impact that removing a significant volume of soil from Hayes Field, as well as seven mature trees on Midland Avenue, to accommodate a synthetic turf field could have on flood mitigation efforts. He pointed out that natural grass and soil have water retention properties that would be lost and a synthetic surface would negatively impact the flood mitigation effort.

Pingel stated that the proposal to reconfigure Hayes Field "is being positioned as a game changer in addressing the limited field issues." He noted that the field will receive heavy use, as it does now, with or without artificial turf and that the school will continue to face issues surrounding limited field space.

Athletic Director Karen Peterson stated that given the number of hours Hayes Field is used for play and sports, natural grass becomes a safety issue for students. "When we talk about safety we not only have to look at the artificial surface, we have to look at the natural grass surface," she said. "Can we maintain a grass surface that's safe? We have questioned over the years whether that's possible."

Peterson explained that the flexibility of and availability for play on an artificial turf field is gained when the field can host a competition and, immediately afterward, accommodate another team's practice session with no disruption to the field surface.

Margaret Mager, former president of the Bronxville School PTA, asked for clarification of the implications of using up to $2.2 million in capital reserves for the Hayes Field project, if using the funds would "wipe out" the reserves.

Dan Carlin, assistant superintendent for business, explained that the capital reserve is only one of the district's reserves and that, even if funds are used to reconfigure Hayes Field, approximately $7 million would remain in other reserves.

"In the opinion of our auditors," Carlin said, "that still leaves us in an excellent financial position."

Denise Tormey, president of the board of education, stated that each year the board examines each reserve and its purpose to determine appropriate and adequate funding levels given risks and projected needs.

"Reserves are established so that when the board and administration conclude a capital expenditure related to facilities, the funds are available without the need to seek additional tax revenue for the particular project," Tormey said.

Superintendent Dr. David Quattrone, in response to concerns raised at the January 8 referendum information session, noted that, contrary to claims that the public had not been informed about the flood mitigation and Hayes Field plans, announced public meetings have been held since February of 2012.

Quattrone also addressed comments from the information session about the Hayes Field plan pitting the needs of elementary and secondary school students against each other and supporting athletes at the expense of younger students. He stated that elementary school physical education and recess will use the field 66 percent of the time, with 23 percent of time devoted to athletic programs and 11 percent to youth recreation.

Quattrone described the referendum propositions as a comprehensive effort to address the persistent flooding problem, which has caused approximately $30 million in damage to the school in recent years, and to address the constrained field space on campus available for student play and sports activities.

"If there is a message I'd like to send tonight, it's that we're all in this together," Quattrone said. "It is the responsibility of the board and administration to balance sometimes diverse perspectives and different needs of different constituencies." He emphasized that the resulting plan reflects the input of those various constituencies.

Pictured here: Hayes Field in April of 2014. 

Photo by A. Warner