David Propper
Rockland/Westchester Journal News
Construction at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon could be wrapped up as early as spring 2022, Westchester County Executive George Latimer said Monday.
Latimer gave a wide range for the actual opening but said the county “certainly expects” Memorial Field to be opened by the fall football season in 2022.
“We don’t have a hard and fast date,” Latimer said during his weekly briefing. “We certainly want to make sure it’s properly constructed before we open it.”
The $25 million project began in September 2020; it was expected to be completed by fall of this year, but that date has been pushed back.
Memorial Field will hold a football field, eight-lane track, tennis courts and a skate park, as well as seating for 3,900. Latimer hopes the field can host Section 1 high school football playoffs.
Located off East Sandford Boulevard on the border of Mount Vernon and Pelham Manor, the field has been unusable for more than a decade with politics and the dumping of contaminated debris largely preventing its revival.
LandTek, which is handling the field’s renovations, is currently assembling the skeleton of the grandstands, said John Sulinski, LandTek’s chief operating officer in a video released by the county. Work on the track and football field will also get underway shortly, Sulinski said.
Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard told The Journal News delays can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and unknown infrastructure issues that were discovered when construction began.
She stressed the city does not want the project to be rushed.
“I am really excited about the progress being made to return the jewel of the city to some of our elder residents who have missed it and introduce it to our younger people who have never had an opportunity to experience it,” Patterson-Howard said, adding. “We want to make sure this stadium is being built for the next five to six generations.”