A ground-breaking ceremony was held for the
Corporal Thompson Track & Field complex on Thurs. Sept. 3rd at the
site.(Henderson/Broadway-West Brighton)
NYC Dept. of Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe was
the master of ceremonies and thanked the many people that made the project
happen.
Borough President Molinaro and Councilman Mitchell
provided the nearly 5 million dollars needed to rebuild Staten Island's best
track & field facility.
A steeplechase pit, a javelin runway and discus
cage will be provided for the community along with a 6 lane synthetic surface.
"There is no facility available on Staten Island where you can just walk
onto the track & workout.It's easier to get off Rikers Island than to get
onto some of the public HS facilities" kidded SITRAC'S Bob Orazem.
"This will be a jewel for the West Brighton community" There
currently are no public areas for the discus and there is NO javelin runways
on Staten Island.
Benepe told the small gathering "I ran track
in HS and College. I understand how important it is. With this facility and
the Ocean Breeze Indoor track coming soon to Staten Island you will have the
best track facilities in NYC"
A ribbon cutting and grand opening will be
scheduled for the spring.
