By Matt Richter, Communications Director, Westchester County Board of Legislators

Jun. 15, 2016:  County legislators Gordon Burrows (R) and Sheila Marcotte (R) were joined by their colleagues on the Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) in approving a bond act in the amount of $1,932,000 for improvements to the county park known as Scout Field.

The BOL also approved an intermunicipal agreement (IMA) with the Town of Eastchester to operate and maintain the park. The vote took place at the board of legislators meeting on May 16.

The IMA calls for the county and town to each make significant improvements to the park. The $1,932,000 in funding that the county is bonding will finance major work adjacent to the Boy Scout cabin area. The work will include earthwork and grading, placement of topsoil, installation of sub-surface drainage, installation of an irrigation system, and other incidental work required for the creation of a turf soccer field.

The town's portion of the work includes resurfacing and reconstructing the entrance road and parking area, creating a new parking area to the east of the entrance road, and building a fence with pedestrian and vehicle gates to enclose the soccer field. The town is also responsible for incidental costs at the field such as signs, goals, bleachers, and benches.

The 23-acre Scout Field lies within three municipalities, Bronxville, Mount Vernon, and Yonkers. Legislator Gordon Burrows represents two of the three municipalities and has advocated for improvements at Scout Field since he became a legislator in 2005. "This agreement is an excellent example of what we can accomplish when municipal and county government officials collaborate. These improvements will make the Scout Field a much better asset for town and county residents for decades to come," said Burrows. "I look forward to working with our municipal partners on other projects like the Scout Field improvements in the future."

Legislator Marcotte is the chair of the budget and appropriations committee, which reviewed and vetted the plan. Marcotte also represents Eastchester, the community that will manage the operations and maintenance at Scout Field. "I am very happy to see this rehab of Scout Field and the construction of a new soccer field finally come to fruition. By sharing the expense of this project between the county and the town, we are able to protect local taxpayers while delivering a very comprehensive project that will get the Scout Field facility in top shape while creating a new athletic field that will be available to all residents." 

Pictured here:  The upper level of Scout Field.

Photo courtesy Matt Richter, Communications Director, Westchester County Board of Legislators