BOE News: HS Field Condition Update, Boys Swim Team

The district invited a turf expert from SUNY Farmingdale to evaluate South Side High School's football field and offer suggestions on how to improve it, school officials said at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.

Robert Bartells, the district's assistant superintendent of finance, said the soil was analyzed and the district received recommendations on what type of seed, fertilizer and irrigation system are needed to rejuvenate the field. Bartells noted that the expert said the main problem is the field's compaction, meaning there isn't much drainage and there is no place for roots to grow in the soil.

Bartells said he was told the field needs to be aerated up to eight times a year. Currently, the district aerates the field three times a year. He added that the field's nitrogen content needs to increase, and the district should apply sand to the field, which he said will "bring it back to a greener field."

There is money in the current budget to pay for fertilizer and seed for the field, he said, but the district would need additional funds if they wanted to purchase an aeration machine, which would cost about $15,000. The district currently rents an aeration machine 2-3 times a year at a cost of a few hundred dollars per use.

The field would also need significant rest, Bartells added, with the summer being an ideal time.

SSHS Boys Swim Team?

Parents asked the Board of Education to consider forming a boys swim team at South Side High School at Tuesday's Board meeting.

The district currently has a girls team, and there are more than 30 boys interested in being on the team. Peter Gannon, the swim coach at St. Agnes, said they have 200 swimmers a year participating on its teams with 50 kids on the waiting list. He added that the Catholic Youth Organization swim team would serve as a pipeline to the high school.

Athletic Director Carol Roseto said it would cost anywhere from $25,000 to $30,000 to field a team, but she is currently having trouble finding an open pool for the team to practice in. Until she can find a venue for the team, the idea of forming one is still on hold.