The opening of the new football, soccer and lacrosse field took place just before the summer of 2024. This highly anticipated event marked the return of athletic spirit at Blind Brook.
In May of 2024 more than 1,000 of voters in Rye Brook cast ballots on the school’s budget. While this included many things in the budget, the thing that caught the most buzz was the reconstruction of the High School’s upper field. This measure passed with around 80% of voters approving the budget plan. After this vote, the school board signed a contract with LandTek for nearly $938,000 to build this new field. The build would include safe materials like the GreenFields artificial turf which is both free of PFAS and lead, as well as Environ Fill. These materials are believed to be the safest and most environmentally-friendly products that will provide the Blind Brook student athletes a completely safe space. This investment was actually under the 1.2 million dollar plan that was in the budget.
This new field has many benefits. One, as mentioned before, is the safety of the materials used. Not only are they environmentally friendly but they are also more durable and require less maintenance. Another benefit is the field’s usability and scheduling flexibility. With synthetic turf, P.E classes can use the turf more often and worry less about weather issues. Its usability is extremely beneficial to the busy sports schedule of our active community. This field not only benefits the community physically, but it also is a reflection of the strong community that Rye Brook has. Community engagement, volunteering and the financial backing from the Blind Brook community are reasons for people to be prideful and excited about our schools. Lastly, it is important to note that the school did not stop at renovating one field, but they also renovated the baseball field and the track surrounding the football/soccer/lacrosse field.
This field means big things for the Blind Brook community. This field represents a new opportunity for our athletic teams as there is now a safe and consistent space for the athletes to perform. The success of this renovation and the budget passing is not only a source of pride but also a source of excitement that goes to show Rye Brook is heading in the right direction. This also contributed to the school’s academic and extracurricular strengths. In 2024, the Blind Brook High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School for Academic Excellence. Improving the reputation of rye brook and showing that we have a very well rounded community.
The future looks bright for Blind Brook. Our student athletes have just finished their fall season with all teams taking advantage of the upgrade. Ever since the initial opening of this field, the track was redone, backstop nets were put in, and the baseball field was finished off. With girls soccer winning the Class B section championship, it is clearly shown that athletics are slowly climbing in Blind Brooks list of strengths.