October 24, 2005

WESTCHESTER COUNTY BOARD OF LEGISLATORS
CHAIR BILL RYAN, WESTCHESTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE
ANDY SPANO AND LEWISBORO TOWN SUPERVISOR
JIM NORDGREN TEAM UP TO ANSWER LEWISBORO’S
URGENT CALL FOR MORE ATHLETIC FIELDS

From left, County Executive Andy Spano, Board Chair Bill Ryan

and Lewisboro Town Supervisor Jim Nordgren

After more than 20 years of waiting, Lewisboro will be getting something it’s been wishing for, and more. At a joint news conference this afternoon, County Legislator Bill Ryan (D-I, White Plains), Chair of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, Westchester County Executive Andy Spano and Lewisboro Town Supervisor Jim Nordgren announced a County-Town initiative that will provide two brand new athletic fields. The new fields will be located on Route 121 directly across from John Jay High School.

“The prospect of more athletic fields is a dream come true for Lewisboro,” said Town Supervisor Jim Nordgren. “The town needs additional ballfields. In recent years, we have seen an 18% increase in participation in school and town sports programs and we don’t have the fields for the kids to play on. Once I explained the situation to Board Chair Bill Ryan and County Executive Andy Spano, they responded wholeheartedly to my request. They immediately said the county could help and agreed that funding for the project could come from the Legacy Program, at no expense to Lewisboro taxpayers.”

The county’s Legacy Program was developed by County Executive Spano in 2001 to address the shortage of active recreation areas in the county, particularly playing fields. It provides money to acquire land and to build ballfields. The county will buy the almost nine acre parcel in Lewisboro, construct the athletic fields and then turn the fields over to the Town of Lewisboro to operate, maintain and manage at its own expense.

“The Legacy Program has been a huge success. County-local government partnerships are building ballfields all over Westchester,” said Bill Ryan. “Local leaders, like Supervisor Nordgren, are in the best position to assess the community’s needs for additional recreational space. If there is a demonstrated need, and there is here, the county will act to make a project happen.”

County Executive Spano said he was pleased that the northeast part of the county would now benefit from the Legacy Program. “The acquisition of this property is important. Lewisboro hasn’t acquired land for new athletic fields for over 20 years, leaving a growing number of school and town teams competing for a fixed number of fields. This new facility will ease that congestion and allow local athletes to focus on athletic competition rather than on competing with other area teams for time slots for fields.”

Two fields are planned. One will be a multi-purpose, all weather field for soccer, lacrosse and baseball. The other will be a natural turf little league/softball field.

“This is fantastic,” said Richard Beckley, the Director of Athletics for the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, which serves students from Lewisboro, Bedford, North Salem and Pound Ridge. “I’m very excited about this. It will certainly enhance the wonderful programs offered by the School District and the Town. And the location is perfect. Our school population has increased dramatically and we’re trying to keep up with the demand. Now the school district can use our funds for other critical needs. So this is really a win-win situation.”