Surveillance cameras would be installed on the property and added to the District’s surveillance infrastructure. During the school day, security would monitor student parking in the existing lot and use of the facilities. Evening and weekend security patrols would be comparable to those on the other school campuses.

The property lends itself to a running/walking path around the perimeter. The exact 1-mile length would be ideal for students and residents engaged in training. Unlike the Syosset High School track, the path would be available to residents during the school day and would provide a safe location away from traffic to get some exercise.

The property would be open to all Nassau County residents, as it is now. However, all existing usage permits will survive the transfer of the property to the school district. So existing use permits for Syosset Soccer, Syosset Lacrosse, Syosset Baseball and Syosset Softball will remain in place. The school district would have first priority, groups with existing use permits would have second priority, and last priority would go to other groups for any remaining time available. 

Yes. While the school district unfortunately cannot allow public use of the track and turf field located on the Syosset High School/South Woods Middle School campus during the school day, the proposed paved walking path at Stillwell would provide seniors with a safe midday walking option that avoids walking on public roads or near traffic.

The plans would include improvements to bathroom facility on the property and the addition of a mobile comfort station near the baseball/softball fields. 

The school district would partner with the Syosset Fire Department to ensure their facility currently located on the property will remain viable and optimal for their operations.

Community groups’ existing regular use permits would transfer with the property and remain in force. Existing use permits will have priority over requests for new use permits. The property will remain open to public use from the Nassau County community at large as it currently is, and new use permits would be issued under the District’s Community use of Facilities Policy 1500, which can be found on the District website.

Nassau County is contributing $3 million for improvements to the property. In addition, the County is transferring the 35-acre parcel for the sum of $1. The transfer of the property at below market value and the cash investment of $3 million are significant contributions from the County. The fields will be the property of the Syosset School District and first priority will be given to school programs at all times. Second priority will go to existing use permits (Syosset Soccer, Syosset Lacrosse, Syosset Baseball and Syosset Softball), followed by remaining County residents.

The preserve will not be touched by the District. It will remain Nassau County property and retain its preserve status. The access point to the preserve near the southeast corner of he fields will remain open. The parking lot located near this entrance will be expanded and evaluated for safety improvements. 

Yes. Parking will be improved and expanded near an access point to the County portion of the preserve. 

A “Phase I Environmental Review” was conducted by an environmental consultant and revealed no environmental issues with the property. The preserve status of the 270-acre property to be retained by Nassau County remains unchanged. 

In addition to the $3 million in County funds conveyed with the property, the District would contribute $5.5 million raised through bonds, and $2 million in reserves for a total investment of $10.5 million.

The debt service on the bonds would be approximately $23 for every $10,000 paid in taxes. However, since the District is about to roll off debt amounting to roughly twice that amount, the levy itself would not increase as a result of this project.

The District is about to roll off $1 million in debt, and approximately $500,000 would be taken on. 

The District reached out to the neighboring houses of the cleared portion of the Stillwell property and scheduled a meeting to review the plan and gather feedback. 

$1 million has been pledged from the developer of 80 Jericho Turnpike (just west of Underhill Blvd.) and $1 million from the Sagamore at Mills Pond (across from Oheka Castle). 

All fields will be improved. The plan would include 6 multi-sport artificial turf fields, 3 grass soccer/lacrosse fields, and 5 baseball/softball fields.

The existing parking structures are in need of improvement. With the community's support, parking lots would be repaved, expanded, and evaluated for safety improvements.

With the community's support, artificial turf infields would be intalled that would support varying dimensions for base paths to accommodate baseball, Little League, and softball. Some fields would be rotated to optimize space. 

With the community's support, this project would be retained and expanded. The District would propose 6 multi-sport artifical turf fields, including regulation sized fields for socccer and lacrosse.

The proposal includes lighting for the artificial turf fields to be located in the center of the property.

We anticipate that the athletics programs from all 3 secondary schools (HBT, South Woods and Syosset High School) will use Stillwell. In addition, the District is exploring locating outdoor and environmental education opportunities on the property to take advantage of the neighboring Stillwell Preserve and make in-district field trips possible. Lastly, because so many community athletic leagues use Stillwell, students from all of the District’s schools will use the fields on evenings and weekends.

With voter approval, the Syosset Central School District would purchase the property for the amount of $1 and would then own the 35 acres of cleared land. The County would retain ownership of the 270 acres of the preserve.

Per Policy 1500, Use of School District Facilities, any outside organization or group making use of school facilities must have insurance coverage with a scope of coverage as outlined in the Policy. Additionally, the school district's insurance carrier would add the property to its coverage. The annual cost would be approx. $7,000 per year. 

Cleaning and maintenance would be done by the District as part of the District's facilities portfolio. District groundskeepers would maintain the property and ensure fields are lined properly for various activities.

When Legislator Lafazan met with community groups in 2019 to discuss the County’s $3 million investment, it became clear that several youth sports organizations planned fundraising campaigns in order to supplement the County’s plans. Any community fundraising would provide for enhancements and expansions either to the initial project or to a second phase of construction.

Juniors will still be able to park at Stillwell, and will have enhanced security because of the presence of District staff and surveillance cameras on site. The County is responsible for crossing guards, but we would advocate for one to be assigned to this location. In addition, we would seek to have traffic calming devices installed. 

The Syosset District has grown by 4.5% over the course of the last 7 years. The proposal to acquire Stillwell provides the District with 2 benefits - upgraded and improved synthetic turf fields as well as additional acreage, providing us with flexibility for futrue needs. 

The plan includes improved parking infrastructure near the entrance to the wooded area and the possibility of creating a bicycle repair station.

The District has the opportunity to use the upcoming budget vote to vote on this project. Waiting until next year’s election would delay the project start by a year; holding a special election would result in additional cost.

The District currently has staff that handles scheduling for use of District facilities, and we anticipate we will be able to absorb scheduling for Stillwell within our existing staff. 

The District already owns the equipment needed to maintain artificial turf, which was purchased for the turf field at Syosset High School. The grounds crew will undergo training to ensure the turf fields are maintained properly for maximum performance and life expectancy. 

The Syosset Central School District has grown by 4.5% over the course of 7 years. The proposal to acquire Stillwell Fields benefits the school district by providing additional acreage and ample space for synthetic turf fields. 

Yes. The expense for the grounds staff is included in the Estimated Ongoing Operating Expense on page 8 of the presentation below. The amount is projected at $146,300.

The property would become school district property and there would be a hierarchy for usage. The school district would have first priority, all existing use permits would have second priority, and third would be remaining County residents. All existing usage permits will survive the transfer of the property to the school district. So existing use permits for Syosset Soccer, Syosset Lacrosse, Syosset Baseball and Syosset Softball will remain in place. Any future use permits would be granted based on remaining availability. 

Recycled rubber is a scientifically proven safe material, and its shock-absorbency and durability make it accessible for all children. More than 110 technical studies on the various applications of recycled rubber have concluded that there is no health risk. Some recent studies that confirm the safety of crumb rubber for us in sports fields include the following: US EPA Report, Washington State Department of Health Study, The European Risk Assessment Study On Synthetic Turf Rubber Infill (ERASSTRI), one of the most comprehensive multinational exposure studies to be conducted, and the Comprehensive Multipath way Risk Assessment of Chemicals Associated With Recycled Crumb Rubber in Synthetic Turf Field. 

The number of parking spaces would be significantly increased. We are working to finalize the number of spots.  

There are currently 14 athletic fields at Stillwell and the proposed plan includes 14 athletic fields.