More Changes Planned for Harbor Island Park

A private company operating athletic facilities throughout New York presented plans last week of  a proposed reconstruction of its sports complex in Harbor Island Park.

During a special presentation in Mamaroneck Village Court, Sportime's manager Claude Okin emphasized that the construction would aim only to expand and add additional practice and game space and would ideally be completed by September 2011.  

Sportime intends to increase the number of soccer fields from four to six, maintain the current numbers of tennis and baseball fields and add a multi-sport indoor center for in-line skating, indoor soccer and other sports.  It will also increase available parking.

When the Village of Mamaroneck originally negotiated plans for the sports complex with Sportime ten years ago, they were unable to carry out many of the innovations Okin now proposes, both for financial and logistical reasons.  Now, Okin believes he has the support he needs.

"We are finally on the precipice of starting this project," Okin said. "Our goal tonight is to get feedback from the community and try to accommodate your needs."

Sportime manages several tennis courts in Harbor Island Park. Because the Village owns the facilities and local sports teams and residents also use the grounds on a regular basis, Okin said he would entertain suggestions from Mamaroneck coaches, athletes and concerned parents. 

The Village Board of Trustees is hoping revenue generated from the project will outweigh the cost, allowing village taxes not to rise at all in the process.  

More than 20 members of the community attended Wednesday's meeting, the majority of whom either coach or have children on area sports teams. 

Larchmont-Mamaroneck Little League coach and board member Bill Nachtigal questioned Sportime's decision to increase the number of soccer fields but not baseball. (Nachtigal is also on the Fields For Kids board of directors.)

"We can look at the possibility," Okin responded. "But in the current plan we saw no way to increase baseball fields without compromising the number of soccer fields."

Village manager Richard Slingerland reinforced Okin's statement, commenting, "We have been engaged in negotiations with Sportime for ten years; as I understood it, the community's top priority was to increase soccer fields, but we could be wrong."

Antonio Anselmo, a member of Mamaroneck's lacrosse and hockey boards, did not think the reconstruction plan went far enough.

"I think what you're doing is good," Anselmo said. "But I don't think it is imaginative enough. I don't understand why you don't eliminate the dangerous parking lot in the middle of the park and space out the fields more. With the fields as tight as they are, there will be havoc on game days."

Okin was receptive to Anselmo's ideas, but responded that the village did not have the funds to dig up all the existing fields.  He also noted that a complete overhaul would prevent teams from using the facilities for an entire season or more.

"Of course soccer coaches want more soccer fields and little league coaches would like to see more baseball; that can't be helped," Okin said.

The next step is to get approval from the Villge Board of Trustees, said Assistant Village Manager Daniel Sarnoff.

"I think this board shows more support for the project than others have in the past," Sarnoff said. "But it still will definitely not be a simple process."

Editor's Note: the corrections pointed out below (see comments) have been incorporated into this piece.