Snow Removal Damages HS Sports Facilities

Snow removal has reportedly damaged a recently completed athletics complex at a New York high school.

Monroe-Woodbury (N.Y.) High School recently completed an $8 million athletics field and track resurfacing project. Those surfaces were damaged by snow removal equipment in February, according to the Times Herald-Record. The newspaper reports that nearly two feet of snow fell in early February, and bitter cold temperatures slowed snow melt that needed to occur prior to winter track and field events and the start of “Fall II” athletics that had been postponed due to COVID-19. Those circumstances prompted districts to break out snow removal equipment, which in the case of Monroe-Woodbury damaged some surfaces.

“We have not yet obtained an accurate measure of the full extent of the damage due to the existing snow and ice cover, nor have we been apprised of the estimated cost of repairs,” school superintendent Elsie Rodriguez posted on the district’s website. “Once thawing occurs and a site visit is conducted by our architects, a full assessment and final cost of repair estimate will be completed. This information will be shared with the community.’’

One athletic director, speaking anonymously, suggested to the Times Herald-Record that the repairs could cost up to $500,000. 

“The district will take a two-step approach to restoring the track: temporary patching of damaged areas in early spring, followed by permanent repairs that must occur when temperatures are warmer, probably in a May-June time frame,’’ Rodriguez’s statement read in part.