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Last year, voters overwhelmingly approved a proposition authorizing a multi-million dollar project - primarily funded through FEMA - that includes the installation of underground pipes under Hayes Field and a pumping station on school grounds, diverting stormwater away from the school and into the Bronx River.
Since 2007, Bronxville has endured nearly $30 million in damages during the series of “100-year storms” that have laid waste to the East Coast, prompting the flood mitigation proposal, which has been tabled and put on hold multiple times after bids for the project came in millions of dollars over estimated costs.
With ground broken, contractors will begin the construction of a parking lot on Meadow Avenue, before the upper portion of the elementary school parking lot becomes a staging area for equipment. Pipes and the pump station on Midland Avenue will be installed during the summer.
Construction on the project is expected to continue throughout the school year, with an estimated completion date of next August. As part of the project, neither the school nor community will have access to Hayes Field next spring.
According to district officials, all school programs will be maintained during construction, including recess, gym classes and sports. The drop-off and pick-up locations at the elementary school will remain unchanged.
“As we all know, these dates may shift with unforeseen circumstances, but we have worked hard to minimize the impact on school operations,” Superintendent David Quattrone assured parents. “Nevertheless, we expect temporary inconvenience, disruption, and delays.At completion, we gain significant protection from future floods.some additional parking, and a synthetic turf field that will enhance opportunities for our students.”
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