Sound Off: State of Sports Fields in Bellmore-Merrick

At last week's Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Board of Education meeting, a group of concerned citizens voiced concerns about the quality of sports fields at Mepham, Kennedy and Calhoun High Schools.

This is not a new topic of debate for the district, as people have been talking about this topic for a couple years.

Patch took to Bellmore Patch and Merrick Patch's Facebook pages to ask residents what they thought of the state of the fields at the local high schools. Here's some of the responses.

• Steven Epstein: The School fields and facilities should be first class, equaling the level of academic excellence in our school district!
  
• Patricia Castigliola-Menna: It is embarrassing, these kids are at risk of additional injuries because of the conditions.
  
• Mike Jean: Calhoun's fields are some of the worst on the island. It's an embarrassment, especially as a Calhoun Student, to call this my home field. On baseball, we are one of the best teams on Long Island every single year, yet we have one of the worst fields and bleacher set ups around. The fields and the baseball bleachers at Calhoun need a complete overhaul.
  
• Lisa Nordstrom Katz: Yes, they should put in turfs. Our fields are a disgrace. Levittown, Oceanside, Freeport, Lawrence all have turf fields. I heard from a resident that Lawrence's field held up through all the flooding.
  
• Jennifer Mulholland D'Auria: Our fields are horrible and dangerous for the athletes that use them. We need turf.
  
• Mike Milovich: People have been able to properly maintain grass playing fields and wooden bleachers for years. Why now must they be made into turf? How about utilizing the maintenance staff we already have to properly maintain the fields? A little sanding and paint would go a long way for those splintering bleachers.
  
• Linda Schlachter Lampert: It is proven by the results of the maintaince staff that they are unable to acheive proper fields for our school atheletes. Therefore, turf fields are necessary to make the conditions safe for our children.
• Billy Moutafis: Obviously, you have not been down to the high school fields lately. I am a athlete and I have played football and lacrosse on all three fields (Mepham, Kennedy and Calhoun). Trust me, the fields need to be updated. It is a safety hazard.
  
• Mark Wagner: We have the worst of pretty much every school in Nassau County. Go to Bethpage or Massapequa and you will want to move. I would love to know how other districts can afford nice fields and bleachers and we can't.
• Mary Lathan Goedel: I am happy with the bleachers at Mepham. Turf should not even be a thought when teachers are losing positions. I also believe turf lends itself to more injuries.