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Stuart Mattey, the Assistant Superintendent for Business and Facilities and Ray Pappalardi, the Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics for the Scarsdale School District provided an update on Butler Field, which is 13 years old and has “reached the end of its usable life.”
Officials said that during the last spring season, “it was necessary to increase grooming and repairs to Butler Field in order to keep the field usable. This, coupled with its upcoming renovation, has resulted in more intense monitoring of the field conditions, which has led to our having strong concerns regarding the safety and playability of Butler Field.”
According to the two, at every five-yard line, the field level changes, and there are several locations on the field where the level changes are more severe. They also said that “where the pre-construction borings were performed, the surface cannot be repaired completely; the turf is too old and worn.” They also noted that when it rains heavily, more low spots appear, infill aggregates, and playing conditions continue to degrade.
As a result of those factors, Butler Field will be closed for all games and practices, which were set to begin next week. Officials said they are “working closely with the coaches to provide the best possible alternatives to Butler Field, including use of turf fields in other local schools.”
Construction fencing on the inside perimeter of the track is scheduled to be put in place on Friday, Aug. 24. During that time, there will still be access to the track until early October, when the entire area will be cordoned off for the extensive renovation. Officials warned that the track may not be open until late in the spring, or later.
It is expected that the Butler Field and track renovation will begin in early October with the removal of the current turf field, followed by upgrades to the drainage system, installation of the new turf surfaces, and finally track replacement.
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