Q: Why does SHS need a new gym?
A: Based on the size of our student body, the state education department requires us to have approximately 100 sections of physical education for our high school students. As a result of our enrollment growth, we no longer have enough physical space to accommodate every section on the schedule. This results in challenges during inclement and winter weather. This challenge will get worse as our enrollment continues to grow, we will experience more pressure from space constraints.
In addition, Syosset gives students the opportunity to play 35 different varsity sports and 33 junior varsity sports. We have more teams than any other school in Section 8. Currently, we average roughly five square feet of gym space per student. Districts of similar size have typically double that space or more.
Additional gym space at the High School would allow us to continue to offer our students a wide variety of physical education opportunities, both during and after school as well as additional gym space for community use after hours.
Q: Will there be a wrestling room added at the High School?
A. The Propositions before the voters would enable the District to use the high school Auxiliary Gymnasium as a permanent home for wrestling. The new gymnasium that is proposed to be built would provide additional teaching stations for the mandatory Physical Education curriculum. This would relieve the Aux Gym of the pressure to accommodate both wrestling and PE, enabling the mats to remain in place and for us to replace the padding along the walls and divider.
Our current wrestling numbers can be comfortably accommodated in half of the Aux Gym, which is about 3,000 square feet. For comparison, Cold Spring Harbor’s wrestling room is around 1,200 square feet, Massapequa’s is around 1,000, and Jericho’s is around 1,900. Longer range, the construction propositions were designed to be scalable. Should Wrestling numbers increase, the program could be expanded to the complete Aux Gym. The new gym included in Proposition One is also designed to be modular – meaning that an additional gym “bay” could be added in the future, if warranted.
Q: Will maintenance be done on the pool?
A. The bond includes an allocation for a new pool dehumidification system and a new filtration system.
Q: Is it safe for students to play on artificial turf?
A. The health and safety of our children is always our top priority, which is one reason why we’ve proposed artificial turf be installed on these fields. Artificial turf fields are engineered to provide a safer, more consistent, and more durable playing environment for children. While natural grass has its own benefits, the consistent quality of turf fields helps reduce certain risks, such as uneven surfaces and poor drainage that leads to injuries, and exposure to allergens or insects.
We rely on guidance from the relevant government agencies to form our understanding of any potential safety issues around the use of school construction materials. In particular, the Environmental Protection Agency has been studying turf fields for years and, as recently as April of this year, concluded a multi-year study, which found that while exposure to chemicals can occur, it is “likely limited.” Our architects also reviewed a study by the New York State Department of Health (DOH), which noted that multiple health agencies had collected air samples on synthetic and natural turf fields during use. The DOH summary indicated that “exposures resulting from playing on synthetic turf were insignificant and not different from inhalation exposures on natural turf fields.”
As you may be aware, we currently have an artificial turf field at Syosset High School. Turf manufacturers typically steer clear of known hazardous chemicals during the manufacturing process of the synthetic turf materials, and provide documentation. We spoke with our architects and engineers, who shared with us a letter from the manufacturer of the turf currently installed on our campus, Sprinturf. The letter confirms there are no PFA chemicals used during manufacture and that any lead or other heavy metals are so low, they comply with the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s most stringent standards for children’s toys.
If proposition two is approved by the voters, as we did with the existing turf at Syosset High School, we will consult with health experts to select materials that comply with the latest safety standards.