Old Forge School District seeks to relocate one of its athletic fields to install solar panels and invites public input on improving sports facilities.
Officials determined the Billy Long Sports Complex is the ideal location for the panels after a review of district-owned land, Superintendent Christopher Gatto said in a letter last week. To support the project, the district will consider relocating the complex to an area behind Old Forge Elementary School known as the Pit, he said.
The district received a $400,000 grant through the Solar for Schools program in the spring to install the panels. An analysis by Usource, the district’s consulting firm on the project, found the district could save $105,000 a year in electric costs, which Gatto said can be redirected toward academic programs, student support and classroom resources.
Officials have not determined how many panels will be installed, but Gatto said this week they would occupy 82,000 square feet of the approximately 100,000-square-foot complex.
He said officials initially looked at district buildings as locations for the panels but determined they weren’t ideal after discussions with community members and the school board. They examined both athletic complexes as potential locations but determined the Billy Long Sports Complex as the best site because it is a large area that gets lots of sunlight.
The current Billy Long Sports Complex across from Old Forge High School will be replaced with solar panels.
“It’s a relatively wide-open space, so therefore you get great exposure to the sun, and it is south facing, which is important as well,” Gatto said Monday. “So those make it a good area to take on solar panels.”
He said the Pit, in contrast, is in a low-lying, wooded area that doesn’t get as much sunlight.
Gatto hopes to send requests for proposals for the project next week. The project’s cost won’t be known until the requests are received and voted on. He hopes to break ground on the site in June, after the baseball season wraps up, in order to receive federal tax rebates.
The Billy Long Sports Complex and the Pit are among three outdoor athletic facilities owned by the district, the other being Veterans Memorial Stadium. Gatto said this week the stadium would remain at its current location.
The Billy Long Sports Complex, dedicated in spring 1985, is used as a practice field for boys and girls varsity soccer, as well as junior high school soccer in the fall, Athletic Director Daniel Mozeleski said. It is used by the junior high soccer program for league soccer games in the fall, and in the spring is used for junior high school baseball practice and games.
The Pit is used for football and soccer practice, he said, and has a rich history of hosting all varsity baseball games, along with junior high, teeners, Babe Ruth and Legion baseball games, he said.
Gatto said in his letter the new complex could include regulation soccer, baseball and softball fields. He added having the complex on one site has benefits financially and for students, including improved efficiency and access for student athletes, having programming on district property and reduced maintenance demands. Gatto said Monday officials plan to retain the Billy Long Athletic Complex name and Long’s daughter supports the move.
“That’s the intention of myself and the board, is that the name wouldn’t get dropped because the field was not being used anymore as a sports complex,” he said.
Gatto added officials hope that by having one athletic complex at the Pit, the land can be best used for sports, some of which are played at borough parks.
Mozeleski said one benefit he likes for the potential new complex is the use of a turf field for all seasons for a variety of sports.
Gatto announced he will create the Old Forge Blue Devils Athletic Facilities Revitalization Committee, which he said will review all district-owned athletic facilities, develop a long-term improvement plan and raise funds. The first meeting will take place Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. in the high school auditorium. He said alumni, families, community groups and local businesses will have a chance to get involved.
Gatto said Monday the committee will allow the district and the community to look at the current athletic facilities and improve them in the most cost-effective way.
“This effort is about long-term sustainability,” Gatto wrote in his letter. “It is about using district property responsibly, cutting recurring costs, and protecting taxpayer dollars while creating better opportunities for our students.”