Committee to check Northport-East Northport schools' sports fields

The Northport-East Northport school board has established a 15-person advisory committee to investigate safety and deterioration of its athletic fields, facilities and equipment, trustee Regina Pisacani said Monday night at a board meeting.

Nearly 30 parents wrote the board in February to complain about rotted-out bleachers at Northport Middle School and uneven fields that some parents said had resulted in injuries. The bleachers have since been removed.

"There's been a lot of disappointment in the state that things have gotten to, and I hope to turn that around," said Pisacani, who pushed to establish the committee and will serve as a liaison with the board on the issue.

The committee includes a mix of members of the community, including parents with children in sports and people who work in fields and grounds, she said.

The committee will have its first monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. next Monday at William J. Brosnan School in Northport. The meetings will be open to the public.

The committee is expected to make recommendations to the board on rehabilitation versus replacement in December, Pisacani said. The committee will produce a written report to the board along with a ranking of the district's project needs in order of safety and importance. Its members will also be charged with finding cost estimates for repairs, replacements and any potential outside funding to offset the costs.

Voters approved a $1.175 million ballot proposition in May to use capital reserve funds for various improvements, including funding to replace exterior bleachers and the press box at Northport High School.