Supporters tell Three Village district bond would fix tennis courts, pool and undersized stadium

Speakers at a public comment period for the Three Village Central School District urged approval of a proposed bond to repair and upgrade athletic facilities, saying the work is necessary for student safety and to preserve community programs.

The district's athletic director said the bond would target three main areas: the football stadium, the swimming pool at Ward Melville High School and tennis courts at the district's three secondary schools. "I think this bond is very important to the 3 village community and athletics in particular," he said, arguing those projects go beyond what annual maintenance budgets can cover.

Supporters said the tennis courts at all three schools are deteriorated. "The last time we had our courts redone completely was about 15 years ago," one speaker said, adding the courts have suffered repeated freeze–thaw damage and years of patchwork that has left them difficult and potentially unsafe to play on. A student speaker said patched surfaces alter play, "it ruins the game because the ball, like, bounces weird," and said conditions have worsened each year.

Speakers described heavy community use of the Ward Melville pool and a need for structural and equipment work. The athletic director said the pool is used by physical education classes, the swim club and community swim programs and listed rusted bleachers, the need to refinish the pool surface, and replacement of the diving board and starting blocks among required upgrades. A pool staff member said prior work has been "Band Aids at this point" and urged capital repairs to allow continued swim lessons and promote water safety.

On the football field, the athletic director said the district currently has a small grass field and outdated bleachers and proposed installing turf, new bleachers and a press box. He said those changes would not only provide adequate seating for parents, cheer and marching band members but also allow the district to host postseason events; "we could then move those championship games and we could host, large venue, championship games here for Section 11 at Ward Melville," he said.

Speakers also noted media and coaching access are limited by the existing press box. One commenter said the district cannot accommodate visiting coaches or outlets such as Newsday in the current space, which they said limits coverage of student athletes.

None of the speakers in the transcript provided precise cost figures, a vote or an official timeline for the bond; comments recorded were audience testimony urging passage. Several quantitative claims were presented as speaker estimates (for example, a claim that "thousands of people" attend some events and that the pool is used "24 7, 365"); the speakers did not supply exact attendance counts or budgets in the recorded remarks.

Speakers concluded by urging the district to place or support the bond so that athletic facilities can be brought up to date; the transcript records public comment and does not include a formal motion or vote on the bond.