SOMERS, N.Y. - Somers is gearing up to carry its long-discussed Reis Park sports project over the finish line.
An overview of the possible $10.7 million plan was presented to the Town Board at its April 9 work session by Mike Quick and Phil Land of The Landtek Group LLC, a company that designs, builds, and maintains athletic facilities.
On the menu are two synthetic turf playing fields, six pickleball courts, a renovated basketball court, a spray park, restroom, lighting upgrades, and improved ADA-access.
Later, at the board’s April 16 meeting, town finance director Robert Kehoe explained how the project would be funded.
Improving the park has been on the town’s radar since 2015 when a land swap with the county was under discussion, Supervisor Robert Scorrano said.
That was to involve changing the designation of a 14.2-acre parcel of land within Angle Fly Preserve from “athletic field area” to “open space recreation area” and vice-versa for an 11-acre parcel adjacent to Reis.
(The proposed project is a separate issue from the swapped land.)
Plans for Reis’s long overdue modernization really started percolating around 2020.
In 2024, the exchange became official. An emergency access road was built.
Scorrano’s point was that the town has been preparing for the project for quite a while and now that it has the financial wherewithal, it’s finally time to do it.
“This is not something that we just pulled out of thin air,” he promised.
Calling Reis Park one of Somers’ most important “gathering spaces,” Scorrano emphasized that the town’s vision can’t be achieved without the public’s full participation.
The town is “committed to getting this right,” he said, adding that it’s already sought the guidance of interested parties such as its parks and recreation folks.
An informational meeting has been set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, at the Town House, 335 Route 202, Somers, N.Y.
“I’m willing to tap the brakes a little bit so the public can kind of embrace this,” said Councilman Anthony Cirieco, who thought the April 30 session would give folks a “chance to kick the tires.”
Councilman William Faulkner agreed that it was “likely that the more they hear about it, the more they’re going to like it.”
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
So, how is the town going to pay for this?
According to Kehoe, the town proposes to first take out a “short-term” note, which is a debt security that matures in one to three years. It’s issued by local governments to fund public infrastructure projects. Investors lend money to towns in exchange for regular interest payments and the return of the principal upon maturity.
Notes offer lower risk than long-term bonds and, as Kehoe put it, can provide space for the town to look around some more before it commits to something more permanent.
It could eventually be “rolled into” a $5 million bond.
The town also plans to apply $2 million in parks and recreation fees paid by developers and $3.7 million from its general fund balance.
Kehoe said that works out to $475,000 a year over 15 years in annual costs to the town.
He didn’t foresee that having a significant impact on tax bills because it’s being spread out over the entire tax base.
Councilwoman Gina Arena was the one who raised the thorny subject.
Cirieco guessed that someone with a house assessed at $100,000 (market value of $1 million) would see their bills go up by $100 a year.
Kehoe promised Arena he’d supply more specifics by April 30.
He also described a future tactical move that will benefit the town.
For the first four years of financing, the town will be simultaneously paying for the park project and its current paving project, which costs it about $320,000 a year.
The latter bond peters out in 2031, thereby reducing the town’s costs.
Kehoe vowed that the fund balance will only be dipped into where “prudent.” Right now, the town has about $9.7 million in the kitty.
He didn’t foresee any negative impact on the town’s Triple A bond rating.
It also expects to remain “tax cap compliant” at least for the near future, Kehoe said, noting that it’s hard to “project out” beyond five years.
“Going past that, I think there are too many moving parts to say. The big (revenue) drivers to the town are sales taxes, mortgage taxes, and, to a lesser extent, the fees it gets from telecommunications services like Cablevision, as well as plumbing and building permits,” Kehoe explained.
If sales or mortgage taxes take a dive, that could hurt the town financially, he admitted.
The highway department will help defray costs by taking on tasks such as carting off excavated materials. Parks and Rec Supervisor Steve Ralston pored over the scope of work to weed out anything but the essentials.
Kehoe noted that while there wasn’t an RFP (Request for Proposals) for the project, the town is “piggybacking off” of LandTek’s use of a “cooperative bidding site.”
‘VALUE AT LOW COST’
Pointing out that Somers had once piled up $1.4 million in annual bond payments, Kehoe assured the board that the project -- even accounting for other debt service -- won’t bring on a repeat.
“Where we were was not a good thing. We don’t want to be there again,” interjected Councilman Richard Clinchy.
“Ah, this goes back to 2018, 2019. We were in pretty good shape at that point,” Kehoe shrugged.
He recalled that when he first joined the finance team, the town was just emerging from the fallout of the global financial crisis of 2008, which had been triggered by the housing bubble collapse. It led to the Great Recession, considered to be the worst economic downturn since the 1930s.
Cirieco allowed that while the project won’t be “tax neutral,” it felt viable because of the way the financial aspect is being handled.
“You’re essentially creating value at a low cost. I like that,” he said.
Looking back 15 years, the town has never been in better financial shape, Kehoe said, adding that half of the project’s cost can be traced to “deferred maintenance.”
The tennis courts are in “disrepair.” The town’s been talking about replacing the park’s lights with cost-saving LED systems for the last decade. Fencing is in sad shape.
“So, if there’s ever a time when we could entertain a project like this, it’s now,” he advised.
“Reis Park is the center of the Somers universe. Let’s use this opportunity to go from good to great,” Faulkner said.
CHEERING SECTION
Among those speaking in support of the project on April 9 were Glenn Heschler, vice president of Somers Youth Sports Organization; Patrick Ford, who identified himself as a youth football commissioner; and town Highway Superintendent Nick DeVito, a father of five and a SYSO member.
The noticeable growth in sports participation has been a key part of the community’s “transformation,” said Heschler, citing new programs such as girls flag football.
“It’s just an amazing thing we’ve been able to create here in Somers,” he added.
Heschler said the biggest issue SYSO has had is not with the number of fields available, but with the number of fields that aren’t “playable” at certain times, such as after it’s rained.
(The fields at Reis Park are natural grass. There are two synthetic turf fields at Somers High School. SYSO does use the school district’s facilities, but student-athletes get first dibs.)
Turf fields’ advantages include high durability, consistent playing conditions, and reduced maintenance costs because they don’t have to be mowed, watered, or fertilized.
Heschler claimed that sports organizations are “spending a fortune” renting facilities in other communities such as Carmel. They also have to rent lights when it starts to get dark earlier in the fall.
“Our fields should align with what we’ve been able to build over the last 15 or 20 years,” he asserted.
“I come here not as someone who’s selfish. My kids are all aging out this year. We will never benefit from this. So, it has nothing to do with me, it has everything to do with this town,” Heschler said.
“We’re very excited. I really feel this fills so many needs in our community,” he added.
Sports have tangible economic benefits as well.
“We have hundreds, if not thousands, of families from around Westchester coming into our town. They’re not just coming to take their kids to sports events, they’re eating in our restaurants, using our gas stations, spending money. The revenue that has been driven to our community because of sports, you can’t put a price tag on it,” Heschler said.
The Reis Park project represents, Ford agreed, “an investment that goes far beyond athletics.”
“This is about our kids, our community, and the kind of opportunities we want to provide to a generation of Somers children,” he said.
As someone “deeply involved” in youth sports, Ford is aware that “consistency matters, not just for scheduling but for development, teamwork, and community engagement.”
“These spaces matter. They shape experiences that kids will carry with them for the rest of their lives,” he said.
DeVito also spoke of having to ferry his children back and forth to Carmel for practice.
So natch, he’d like to see his kids get the chance to play closer to home.
“Sports is really a huge part of Somers. It’s who we are,” DeVito said.
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