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Mount Vernon Mayor: City To Rehabilitate Memorial Field

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. – Mount Vernon Mayor Ernest Davis assured residents that the popular Memorial Field would be rehabilitated, not demolished.

Mount Vernon's Memorial Field will be renovated but will keep its retro charm.

Mount Vernon's Memorial Field will be renovated but will keep its retro charm.

Photo Credit: File

Memorial Field, which was built in the late 1920s, will get a facelift that will include a six-lane track, tennis courts and a skate park.

The renovation is currently in the planning stages, Davis said.

“[A renovation of] Memorial Field was a promise from five years ago that never able to get off the ground,” he said. “A host of recreation activities ceased for hundreds all over the county that came to use our community.”

Plans call for converting the playing fields to artificial turf, Davis said. Though his preference was to put in new grass, the city found it would be cheaper to maintain turf.

“It costs more to maintain grass than turf, and it’s also more fragile, so we’re going with the artificial turf,” he said. “We will restore the stadium with renovated bathrooms, improved handicapped access, and it should be more affordable than the original plan. We will respect this icon.”

The city will begin reviewing contractor bids Monday to build and run a tennis bubble at Memorial Field after opening the bidding in early March. Tennis players can expect to be playing by the end of May, Davis said. The track should be finished in time for summer.

“We have more tennis players and more walkers than any other sport. We want the track viable so people can utilize the facility,” he said. “Multimillions of dollars will be invested in this city within the next five years.”

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