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Pretlow Pledges $1M For Mount Vernon Memorial Field Repairs

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. – Just days after members of the Mount Vernon community rallied together to protest the lack of progress at the long-dormant Memorial Field, Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow has pledged money to expedite construction at the once vibrant field.

Memorial Field was once a major attraction in Mount Vernon.

Memorial Field was once a major attraction in Mount Vernon.

Photo Credit: File
Memorial Field has seen better days in Mount Vernon.

Memorial Field has seen better days in Mount Vernon.

Photo Credit: Zak Failla

On Thursday, Pretlow announced $1 million has been pledged toward construction at the field, with an additional $250,000 for repairs of the municipal parking lot that hasn’t been improved in more than a decade.

Additionally, Mount Vernon Mayor Ernest Davis announced a nonprofit account has been set up to raise additional money for Memorial Field.

“Much has been said about the reconstruction of Memorial Field, be it god, bad or in different, the stories persist. Nonetheless we move forward,” he said. “Some politicians made it their platform to create and spread untruths and rumor mills instead of banding together and assist in the positive venture of completing this project; a project that will benefit not only the Mount Vernon populace, but its surrounding communities as well.”

Memorial Field, which was once a hotspot of recreational activity for the entire county, has been a divisive issue in Mount Vernon for both residents and politicians alike. For the better part of a decade, elected officials have debated, often spiritedly, about what steps should be taken to renovate the field, while residents are simply flummoxed that it has stood in disrepair for so long.

In its prime, Memorial Field, which was built in the late 1920s, was one of the most prominent and highly populated parks in Westchester County. Officials have been proposing and reviewing ideas to renovate the field, but they’ve been stuck in a holding pattern for more than two years.

“Assemblyman Pretlow is an admirable example of a committed politician who believes he was put in place as an engine to help,” Davis said. “Instead of generating press releases intentionally designed to disrupt and cause conflict. But as the saying goes: ‘if you’re not part of the solution, than you’re probably part of the problem.’ ” 

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