AUBURN - Tempers flared as Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education members discussed Holland Stadium's role in a proposed capital project Monday.
The board is proposing an estimated $14.9 million capital project, of which $3.5 million would be earmarked for renovations at Holland Stadium, including concrete work, lighting, the installation of synthetic turf, enhancing the walking track and additional parking.
The board's Long Range Planning Committee held a work session Monday to answer any questions board members had on the capital plan as well as go through the list of identified priorities and discern whether those priorities were appropriate or needed to be reviewed.
Board member Joe Leogrande voiced strong objections to the inclusion of Holland Stadium in the proposed capital project that is expected to go before voters in May.
“I think this is a frivolous expense,” he said. “I think this is a waste of money.”
Board member Bill Andre responded by asking Leogrande what exactly he was objecting to.
“Why does Auburn, why does this community, why does the varsity sports teams that use it, why do my kids use it, why should I sit there and watch this stuff,” Andre asked. “Why do I not deserve that Holland Stadium be what it should be? I don't understand.”
Playing the role of the mediator, Susan Scheuerman said, “I think I understand the merit of the question. I don't believe it's a ‘this or that, either it's in or it's out.' I think there's room for discussion what we as a board consider valuable to our students.”
Andre pointed out that some of the aspects embedded in the capital plan for Holland Stadium are infrastructure issues and asked why Auburn couldn't have a stadium like the one at Cicero-North Syracuse or Liverpool school districts.
“When I walk through (Holland Stadium) like I do all the time I see crumbling concrete and the lights aren't what they should be and the playing surface is not what it should be ... and why shouldn't we have it?” he said. “We have to do this sooner or later. Concrete is going to continue to crumble and we'll continue to fall behind codes? I just don't understand why our students and our community do not deserve a top notch stadium?
Leogrande replied that while the concrete needs to be done, some of the upgrades seem to be cosmetic. As he cited costs, board member and Long Range Planning Committee chair Michael Stearns interrupted and asked to return to a general discussion on priorities.
“Who left you the president,” shouted Leogrande. “You are not the president. Let us all speak. You keep interrupting me and I'm tired of you interrupting me. You don't speak for me.”
“I'm not speaking for you,” responded Stearns. “I just want to remind you that this is a Long Range Planning Committee meeting as posted on the outside of the door, and as chair of the committee I'm responsible for making sure that the committee meeting moves along appropriately and that we are not revisiting ground that we've already visited.”
Andre said that he had faith in the administration that everything in terms of cost and need was looked at thoroughly and that the administration's recommendations when it came to Holland Stadium and the other aspects of the capital project were appropriate for Auburn.
“I don't feel any reason to rip this project apart from start to finish,” he said. “My first year I was on the board, probably one of my biggest disappointments was when we tried to put out a project that included a pool at Auburn High School and they said, 'No we aren't going to do it.' And I said, 'Why is it your business that you put a pool in that project? Put it out to the voters and let the voters decide if they want a pool in Auburn High School.' This is very similar, let the voters decide what they want to do with the capital project and what they want to do with Holland Stadium.”
At the end of the meeting, which ran nearly two hours, the board decided to add the capital project to the agenda for Tuesday's board of education meeting at which they will vote whether to send the project to the engineers and architects for the next step in planning as well as decide if they will put the project before voters in May.
The meeting will be held at 7 tonight at the Auburn High School library.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
The board's Long Range Planning Committee held a work session Monday to answer any questions board members had on the capital plan as well as go through the list of identified priorities and discern whether those priorities were appropriate or needed to be reviewed.
Board member Joe Leogrande voiced strong objections to the inclusion of Holland Stadium in the proposed capital project that is expected to go before voters in May.
“I think this is a frivolous expense,” he said. “I think this is a waste of money.”
Board member Bill Andre responded by asking Leogrande what exactly he was objecting to.
“Why does Auburn, why does this community, why does the varsity sports teams that use it, why do my kids use it, why should I sit there and watch this stuff,” Andre asked. “Why do I not deserve that Holland Stadium be what it should be? I don't understand.”
Playing the role of the mediator, Susan Scheuerman said, “I think I understand the merit of the question. I don't believe it's a ‘this or that, either it's in or it's out.' I think there's room for discussion what we as a board consider valuable to our students.”
Andre pointed out that some of the aspects embedded in the capital plan for Holland Stadium are infrastructure issues and asked why Auburn couldn't have a stadium like the one at Cicero-North Syracuse or Liverpool school districts.
“When I walk through (Holland Stadium) like I do all the time I see crumbling concrete and the lights aren't what they should be and the playing surface is not what it should be ... and why shouldn't we have it?” he said. “We have to do this sooner or later. Concrete is going to continue to crumble and we'll continue to fall behind codes? I just don't understand why our students and our community do not deserve a top notch stadium?
Leogrande replied that while the concrete needs to be done, some of the upgrades seem to be cosmetic. As he cited costs, board member and Long Range Planning Committee chair Michael Stearns interrupted and asked to return to a general discussion on priorities.
“Who left you the president,” shouted Leogrande. “You are not the president. Let us all speak. You keep interrupting me and I'm tired of you interrupting me. You don't speak for me.”
“I'm not speaking for you,” responded Stearns. “I just want to remind you that this is a Long Range Planning Committee meeting as posted on the outside of the door, and as chair of the committee I'm responsible for making sure that the committee meeting moves along appropriately and that we are not revisiting ground that we've already visited.”
Andre said that he had faith in the administration that everything in terms of cost and need was looked at thoroughly and that the administration's recommendations when it came to Holland Stadium and the other aspects of the capital project were appropriate for Auburn.
“I don't feel any reason to rip this project apart from start to finish,” he said. “My first year I was on the board, probably one of my biggest disappointments was when we tried to put out a project that included a pool at Auburn High School and they said, 'No we aren't going to do it.' And I said, 'Why is it your business that you put a pool in that project? Put it out to the voters and let the voters decide if they want a pool in Auburn High School.' This is very similar, let the voters decide what they want to do with the capital project and what they want to do with Holland Stadium.”
At the end of the meeting, which ran nearly two hours, the board decided to add the capital project to the agenda for Tuesday's board of education meeting at which they will vote whether to send the project to the engineers and architects for the next step in planning as well as decide if they will put the project before voters in May.
The meeting will be held at 7 tonight at the Auburn High School library.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
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jlmorgansr wrote on Jan 23, 2008 12:01 AM:
longboard315 wrote on Jan 22, 2008 9:44 PM:
quest wrote on Jan 22, 2008 8:26 PM:
quest wrote on Jan 22, 2008 6:49 PM:
MAKE SEPERATE PROPOSALS SO THE PRIORITIES GET TAKEN CARE OF, NOT THE WISH LIST JUNK! "
tlb4 wrote on Jan 22, 2008 4:07 PM:
MISSEY1941 wrote on Jan 22, 2008 3:34 PM:
If all the other districts will be getting turf, who will rent the field?
How much income will a 3 million doller stadium generate?
If it generates $2000 per year, it will only take 1500 years to pay for it.
Since turf lasts about 10 years, we will have a never ending debt to pay off.
If you wan't a field, let the boosters come up with the cash. "
cm wrote on Jan 22, 2008 3:31 PM:
tlb4 wrote on Jan 22, 2008 3:15 PM:
stevedallas wrote on Jan 22, 2008 2:59 PM:
longboard315 wrote on Jan 22, 2008 2:34 PM:
tome8689 wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:52 PM:
tlb4 wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:49 PM: