Kemper Decision Leaves the Field Problem Unresolved

by Joan R. Simon

(January 13, 2005) As word of the NY Supreme Court’s January 6 ruling on Mamaroneck’s Kemper Memorial Park reached the community, officials and residents continue to react and reflect on what to do next. (See: Judge Rules: Kemper Park Changes Prohibited.) Town of Mamaroneck Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe is stepping up her advocacy for a field at Saxon Woods, and the district athletic director is gaining practice in the difficult task of finding field space for all of the teams she oversees.

The Mamaroneck school district was “disappointed” – and clearly surprised -- by Judge Bellantoni’s decision against their plan to reconfigure the park to make room for a new sports field at the high school campus. School board president Celia Felsher commented, “We had been apprised by legal counsel and we continue to believe there is a very strong legal position for our undertaking changes to the property.”

After reviewing the court’s opinion with their attorney, the school board will decide whether “an appeal or other legal action is appropriate,” according to school spokesperson Joan Rosen. Superintendent Sherry King said, “We will of course let the community know if and when we take any further steps.” In the meantime, the $800,000 needed to complete the funding for the Kemper Memorial reconfiguration will not be included in the 2005-06 school budget.

According to information obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, over $184,000 has already been spent by the school district in legal fees on the Kemper issue and an additional $6,505 for landscaping designs. A citizen’s group that supports preserving the memorial released a letter in which they expressed hope that the board would “let the matter rest rather than spending additional school budget funds on an appeal that might divide our community even further.”

Students had mixed reactions, according to Midori Uehara, the MHS student liaison to the board. “The proponents of where [the Kemper Memorial] is were ecstatic with the decision and thought it was the right thing,” she said. “A lot of athletes were frustrated,” she added.

Additional Sports Field Still Needed

The court denial of their plans leaves the school district – and the youth programs in the community – with an ongoing problem: a shortage of playing fields. With girls’ soccer added to the fall roster (See: Title IX Ruling: Girls’ Soccer at MHS will Move to the Fall), district athletic director Bari Suman had her hands full this past season. “It was a constant juggling act,” she said. “It’s like a big puzzle. I take it one week at a time, and the next week anything can happen. But if it rains, everything is thrown out.” The district was given the use of one additional field at Harbor Island, but frequently during the season, teams had to divide a field in half for practices.

One partial solution would be the addition of artificial turf and lights to the high school field. This would allow “piggyback” practices, where one practice follows another into the evening hours. “That’s tough for high school kids who are budgeting their time,” said Ms. Suman, but it would better utilize the field. There would also be the possibility of some night games and the fields would become usable more quickly following rain.

A New Field at Saxon Woods?

On another front, Town of Mamaroneck Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe has been working with county officials to find space for a sports field at Saxon Woods. A resolution was passed by the Town of Mamaroneck on January 5 in support of “the County of Westchester constructing a playing field in Saxon Woods Park to further enhance the athletic programming and recreational opportunities” for the school district and the three local municipalities. The Village of Larchmont and the Village of Mamaroneck also approved the resolution at their January 10 board meetings.

With the newly endorsed resolution in hand, Ms. O’Keeffe is “gearing up to lobby the county again.” She added, “I would hope within the next month we’d have something more concrete.” Last year’s discussion between the town and the county centered on a location near the baseball fields off Old White Plains Road, but that area was deemed too marshy for a field. An underutilized picnic area on Mamaroneck Avenue south of the Hutchinson Parkway is being proposed, with an all-weather surface and lights. The distance from the high school is just over three miles and there is ample parking available.

“The county does this,” said Ms. O’Keeffe referring to the county’s role in providing fields for local communities. The Town of Mamaroneck would control the scheduling and administrative functions relating to the field. Other county communities would be offered any leftover time not being used by the school district or the three local municipalities. The county has recently put in a field for White Plains near the Saxon Woods pool, which is adjacent to the area under consideration.

Ms. O’Keeffe was optimistic about the project: “The fact that we’re in the lower part of the county puts us in a different position from up-county towns” which have much more open space.

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