By Christopher Hunt
NEW YORK – The construction that has half of the parade grounds at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx fenced off has raised concerned among coaches, athletes and general park users alike. The fence forced meet directors to completely change the start to every cross country race competed at one of the most historic courses in the country.
The project will not affect scheduling or force cancellations. Most the course will remain the same other than the start of the race. Races will start on the Northeast end of the parade grounds in varying places depending on the distance. Cross country coaches, soccer coaches that use the field and representatives of the Parks department discussed the possibilities at a meeting held at Van Cortlandt Park Thursday. Part of the reason for the meeting was so that cross country and soccer can co-exist on the field in what is now an even more confined space.
“Everybody’s squeezed but everybody’s here,” Van Cortlandt Park administrator Margot Perron said.
Half of the 65 acres of the parade grounds at Van Cortlandt Park is fenced off due to drainage and irrigation being installed throughout the parade grounds in a $14 million renovation project financed by mitigation funds from the construction of the Croton Walter Filtration Plant through the New York City Department of Environment Protection and Municipal Water Finance Authority.
Perron said that the project is expected to take three years, a year and a half on each side of the parade grounds. The current fenced area will remain so through this season and the next fall cross country season before work begins of the other end of the parade grounds. The 5-kilometer and 8-kilometer starts will be moved to south-western end of the field. The fence completely blocks on the 2.5-mile finish line, which is mostly used by the CHSAA. A gate that blocks the finish will remain open throughout the season so the finish isn’t affected. The 2.5-mile start line will begin with runners starting directly toward the fence and then turning left toward Broadway before circling around to end into the trails.
“We definitely appreciate the efforts of the Parks Department to make the parks as good as they can be,” said Fordham Prep coach George Febles, who is the CHSAA cross country commissioner. “For our kids, the worse that happens is they have to make an extra left turn.”
Febles’ CHSAA developmental meet was cancelled Saturday but not due to the condition of the park but because of the rain. The Fordham Fiasco XC Meet hosted by Fordham University continued as scheduled. The races maintain the integrity of the distance but Fordham head coach Tom Dewey said changing the start of the course can affect athletes psychologically.
“People get used to running a certain way,” he said. “You change it and it can mess with their heads.”
There will be some overlap in renovating both ends of the parade grounds and if that overlap happens in fall, whether it be in the 2009-10 season or the 2010-2011 season, it could completely shut down the park for races. But for now, cross country is safe for this season and the next at Van Cortlandt Park.
“We could’ve shut the whole (park) down and decided no one can be here,” Perron said. “But the commissioner (Bronx Borough Parks Commissioner Hector Aponte) said no, we can make this work with everyone. We’ll make this work.”
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.