Board Recap: Town Hall Meeting on Molloy Field Proposal; Ban Bamboo?

Rockville Centre Mayor Fran Murray announced that he will host a Town Hall Meeting at the S on May 23 at 7 p.m. to discuss the with ; a proposal that would upgrade four existing athletic fields in the village with synthetic turf and create one new one, providing multi-purpose playing fields for soccer, baseball, softball, field hockey and lacrosse.

Murray said at Thursday's briefing session that a representative from Cameron Engineering will also be at the meeting to explain and update residents on where the village stands with the project.

According to the proposal, Molloy would pay the full $6 million cost of the upgrades at the , Lister Field and Centennial Park in return for gaining home fields for its softball, field hockey and baseball teams.

Since it is a non-village meeting, Murray said anyone is allowed to attend, but only Rockville Centre residents can speak at the microphone.

The village signed a with Molloy, but a deal between the two has yet be finalized.

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Ban Bamboo?

Will planting bamboo in your yard soon be illegal in Rockville Centre?

Some village residents have complained that after neighbors planted bamboo in their own yards, the plants' roots popped up on their property and caused extensive damage. Master garderner and landscaper Bob Schenone said bamboo is an "invasive species" and its roots travel horizontally underground, spreading from one property to an adjacent one fairly quickly.

Schenone explained that bamboo roots are strong enough to break through a garage floor, and can cause severe damage if its roots aren't properly contained underground.

Village Attorney Tom Levin said some villages on the North Shore have already banned planting bamboo, and Murray asked him to look into how other municipalities drafted its legislation.