Dozens of soccer players crowded in the city council chambers in support of the new indoor field.
City Hall was taken over Monday evening by dozens of young soccer families, their coaches and families who came to show support for new soccer indoor soccer fields at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center.
Plans for the new sports facility in the drill hall of the former National Guard Armory call for an AstroTurf field, new bathrooms and lockers, and new lights and a heating system. In addition to soccer tournaments, the new space will also be able to host trade shows, which developers expect will pay for some of the cost of operating the center.
Dierdre Glenn, the executive director of the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, said that work has already begun on the sports field and she expects they will be finished by February 1, 2012.
The interior of the cavernous drill hall.
The cost of the renovations is covered by private donations, including that of the Elaine and William Kaplan Family Foundation, which donated $100,000 in 2010 to get the Armory project started up, with plans for regular annual contributions.
William Kaplan was on hand for Monday’s meeting as well and, like the young players in the room, he was clearly excited by the prospect of the new field. Mayor Valentine recognized that it was good to have the council chambers filled with young people. “Your involvemet is what is going to be the next generation in Newburgh,” he said, adding that they get an “A” for lobbying.
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