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Students, staff and residents urge Scarsdale bond to add softball and turf fields
Summary
Speakers at a Scarsdale Union Free School District forum urged approval of a proposed bond to renovate athletic facilities, including a new Green Acre Softball Field and more turf, saying current field shortages limit girls' sports and practice consistency.
Speakers at a Scarsdale Union Free School District forum urged residents to support a proposed bond that would renovate athletic facilities, add turf and build a new Green Acre Softball Field to address shortages that district speakers said constrain girls' sports and practice schedules.
A staff member (S1) outlined the mismatch between teams and turf, saying, "we're a school with a lot of programs, you know, our athletic offerings are robust," and noting that "in the fall 4 varsity teams ... in the spring, we have 3" that "have to play on turf" while the district currently has only one turf field. The speaker said that imbalance creates logistical strain for teams and cited softball as a specific example.
A resident speaker (S2) called softball "one of the fastest growing girls sports in Scarsdale" and argued the community faces "a severe lack of softball fields." They urged investment in the Green Acre Softball Field, saying it would "really send a powerful message that girls sports matter in Scarsdale."
A student (S3) described the practical effects of limited facilities, saying inconsistent practice locations make preparation difficult and recounting that "my freshman year, our first time ever playing on an actual dirt field was during a scrimmage." The student said renovating or creating a single home field "would definitely help consistency" and that "the benefits of the bond for our students and for the community really outweigh the cost to the community members."
S1 repeated that girls deserve a home field "that they can be proud of" and said that such improvements are included in the bond proposal. Another staff member (S4) framed the investment as part of broader infrastructure support, telling the forum that the district has "a wonderful staff, wonderful community, but we need to support our infrastructure," and saying the upgrades would help create "an environment where students can learn, they can live, and they can lead."
Speakers framed the bond as a way to improve equity and day-to-day student experience; no formal vote or timeline for the bond was discussed in the recorded remarks.