Prentiss construction stalled

Elizabeth Pacheco Sports Editor

Spring sports teams walked out to Prentiss Field last week for practice, expecting to find it under construction, but were surprised not a bulldozer in sight. The date to break ground for the Prentiss Field renovations, originally set for Nov. 1, was pushed back to Dec.1 and is now scheduled for April 19. While the construction plans will not upset spring practice schedules, the men’s baseball team doesn’t have a proper game field and must hold all home games at the local Dutchess County Stadium, a situation which could detract from fan attendance.

Announced at last year’s spring athletic banquet, the plan for the new field complex has been in progress since 2001. Renovations include the addition of a turf field with an eight-lane track, a press box and lights, as well as two grass fields (one for field hockey and the other to be shared by soccer and lacrosse), a baseball diamond and a baseball practice field.

This five-month delay is “not a postponing of the construction,” explained men’s soccer Head Coach and Athletics Department representative for the project Andrew Jennings. Creating this new complex affects those in both the Vassar and Poughkeepsie communities and the plans require Town Board approval. “There are a ton of developments going on in Poughkeepsie and it takes a long time to get Town Board approval for their plans,” said Jennings. The Town’s approval date for the plans was set for April 5, but there will still likely be issues to settle before construction can start.

Meeting only once a month, the Town Board approval process has been slow and tedious. “The project has been delayed and it seems like a decision made by the Town rather than what Vassar has been or not been doing,” explained Jennings.

Along with the Town Board’s approval, the campus is showing the desire to stay environmentally conscious. Through the Sustainability Committee, Vassar community members have been able to stay up to date with planning changes while also having a venue to voice their concerns about how the construction could affect the environment. The issue is discussed at weekly meetings and recently, a letter was sent to President Catharine Bond Hill with notes from the meeting, where project engineers were present.

The Casperkill Study Group, which consists of some Vassar science faculty studying the nearby Casperkill watershed, has become particularly involved with the process and has three concerns. The first is the protection of the area around Vassar Lake, which boasts trees that are over 100 years old and a historical farmhouse driveway. The second concern is parking lot runoff, and the third is the Committee’s plan to have chain link fences surrounding the new facilities, which would disturb local vegetation and wildlife.

With continuous communication between project planners, the Vassar community, and the Town of Poughkeepsie, the construction is closer to beginning, and athletes’ dreams of playing on the new facilities are almost a reality.