Syosset Central School District seeks voter OK to acquire Stilwell fields and fund $10.5 million upgrades

Unidentified Speaker, identified in the transcript as the meeting—reator and presenter, told residents the district is proposing to acquire 35 acres of cleared fields at Stilwell in a plan the district says would expand athletic fields, offer environmental-education opportunities and create community amenities such as a one-mile perimeter walking path and an outdoor performance lawn.

The presenter said Nassau County would convey the 35-acre field portion to the district while leaving the roughly 270-acre wooded preserve in county ownership. The county, he said, would also convey $3,000,000 that had been earmarked for improvements. The district—xpects two private developer pledges of $1,000,000 each (named in the meeting as Sagamore and an 80 Jericho Turnpike development) and plans to borrow the remaining funds, producing an estimated construction cost of about $10.5 million with a contingency shown in the project materials.

Officials described the primary upgrades as multiple synthetic-turf fields, regrading of uneven grass fields to improve drainage and safety, new LED stadium lighting sited to reduce neighborhood light scatter, a concrete circulation path for improved access and emergency extraction, additional parking and mobile comfort stations. Greg Hamilton, the district irector of operations, said maintenance estimates were developed with architects and vendors and include regular turf servicing, a GMAX rating program for concussion-safety monitoring, irrigation and restroom utilities; those items were collectively estimated in presentation materials at roughly $340,000 a year.

On funding and tax impact, district business official Doctor Rufo explained the estimate that the debt service would amount to about $23 for every $10,000 in assessed property value but said the net levy impact would be offset in part by debt that is rolling off the district—ooks. The presenter said the transaction would be presented to voters in May on a set of ballot propositions: the annual budget plus separate propositions to accept the conveyance of the 35 acres for $1 and to authorize borrowing for improvements; the property-conveyance proposition and the funding proposition both must pass for the project to proceed.

Residents raised a range of concerns during a public-comment session. Tanya Getz, a Syosset resident, asked whether the district—stimated increased liability (including active-shooter or "active shooter insurance") for a more open, heavily used site and whether the listed insurance line items covered that risk. Doctor Rufo said the district reviewed the planned uses with its insurer (referred to in the meeting as NYSER, New York State Insurance Reciprocal) and that the carrier id not foresee a material change to liability policies because outside user groups are required to provide certificates of insurance and the district already manages community-use agreements.

Getz and other speakers also raised environmental and health questions about synthetic turf, including concerns about recycled-plastic infill, heat-related emissions and injury rates. The presenter said the district has sought research and cited the U.S. EPA and architects' reviews; he said a Phase I environmental review done for the district did not identify issues in project records and that the district would assemble more studies for community review.

A number of residents questioned why the district must take ownership rather than the county or a county-town partnership. The presenter said the county offered the property only by conveyance with funds attached, and that prior arrangements (county ownership, town operation) had limited investment; he said the conveyed money plus developer commitments would achieve a larger scope of work than the county's $3,000,000 alone.

Officials described timing and approvals: final architectural drawings would go to the State Education Department for review (officials said the state process can take roughly 40 weeks), and the district would publicly bid the work or piggyback existing public-school bids. The presenter said outreach would include a multi-page mailer to every Syosset mailbox and online materials; he also noted the board recently adopted a resolution to begin an educational foundation to accept charitable donations for projects.

The meeting ended with the presenter thanking attendees and outlining next steps toward the May vote. Pending the outcome of the ballot propositions and necessary state approvals, district officials estimated construction would likely occur in 2023 or later, subject to state review and public bidding.