By Janine Logan Members of the Babylon Turf Field Fund Committee met with community residents on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 to solicit their ideas and suggestions, as the committee now moves forward with a more aggressive fund raising plan for a proposed synthetic turf field at the Babylon Junior-Senior High School. The committee has dropped all plans to partner with Suffolk County and will not utilize the approximate $600,000 in Greenways Initiative Fund money that former Suffolk County Legislator David Bishop was able to secure on behalf of the Babylon Village community. The proposed county partnership raised alarm among many village residents, when the idea was presented to the community last summer. Some feared that as a partial county facility, the field would draw too many visitors to the village, impacting traffic, sanitation, and even safety. “The Turf Field Committee didn’t want to fight this, because we didn’t have the backing of the village,” said Keely Harris, a member of the Turf Field Fund Committee. “We don’t want to fight the community.”

The Turf Field Fund will now rely exclusively on fund raising, as a means to finance the project. According to the group’s chair, Tom Reynolds, about $50,000 has been raised to date, less expenses. This amount is from about 200 donors and the proceeds from the 5K race sponsored by the Post Office Café last October. The estimate for the field with lights is about $1 million.

The Fund plans a second mailing to the community, and in addition to raising funds, wants to create more community awareness about the need for a synthetic field. A fund raising subcommittee will direct these efforts. Any community residents interested in serving on this subcommittee are asked to contact Keely Harris.

“This is really a quality of life issue,” said comby mittee member David Cunningham. “A turf field with lights allows you to play in almost any kind of weather, because it drains fast. Working parents can also get to their kids’ games, when games are held under the lights at night. The field can be used for physical education classes too.”

Reynolds explained that with a synthetic field teams can be platooned with very little time needed between games for setup. With permanent lines, at least three sports – soccer, football, and lacrosse – can be played. Lines for field hockey can also be drawn.

“We look at this field, as a fabulous gathering place for the community,” said Turf Field committee member Vincent Tenety. “The cost to build a good grass field is $250,000. Then it has to be maintained. Economics point to a turf field.”

According to industry reports, synthetic turf fields last an estimated 12 to 18 years, based on geographic location and usage. These fields require about one hour of maintenance per week.

“In the fall, the school fields are used seven days a week and have no recovery time,” said Doug Sutherland, another committee member.

School board member Roger Katz said several years ago the board asked Cornell Cooperative Extension to examine the condition of the soccer field – located between the Grade School and Elementary School. Cornell concluded that the field is overused and is in poor condition, because it is located on a flood plain, requiring constant work and maintenance.

Committee members maintain that a synthetic field will ease the burden on this current soccer field. “The turf field will open up playing time on other fields,” said Sutherland, “so even if your child never plays on the synthetic field, they will benefit.”

“We’re at a disadvantage here. We’re such a great community, but have limited space,” said Reynolds.