WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. August 8, 2007: A Memorandum from the White Plains Public Schools Business Office distributed to residents of Havilands Lane Monday evening, explaining the “Woods Wipeout” at White Plains High School, executed without warning last Friday on a wooded buffer between Havilands Lane and the White Plains High grounds details that the softball fields project was budgeted to cost $23,000.
The memo, written to Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors, from Assistant Superintendent for Business, Fred Seiler, states “Although the concept was a good one, Mr. Lynch overlooked the need to communicate the removal of the trees and the need for a new ball field with the Administration, the Board of Education, and the residents of Havilands Lane.”
The Memorandum states the Superintendent has stopped the project until “a plan is developed to address the issues created by the removal of the trees and the intent to build a field withour authorization from the Board (of Education).”
Seiler describes how the project began:
On July 24th, Mike Lynch became aware that LandTek Group, the company building Louck’s Field, had a considerable amount of clean fill to dispose. Seeing an opportunity to build another softball field, he contracted with the company hauling the fill to deliver 1,000 yards to the outfield of the current softball field. This was in addition to the 500 yards of topsoil we are contractually entitled to as part of the capital project>
On Tuesday, July 31st, Mike requested three quotes for land clearing of an area 220 feet by 165 feet. Tremson was selected at a cost of $4,850 and arrived on Friday morning, August 2nd. After receiving direction from the Facilities and Operations staff, Tremson worked until slightly after 2 P.M. at which time the District requested a work stoppage. At this point, the contractor had completed 95% of the proposed work. However, it was discovered that several additional trees not selected for removal had been cut down.
Mr. Lynch’s plan was to dump 4,300 yards of clean fill from the Louck’s Field Project to an area behind Field #1. Mike identified this as an opportunity to get clean fill at a reasonable price. Clean fill is very difficult to find and is often very expensive. This clean fill would be used as the basis for a new softball field. The thinking was to plant a buffer of 40 evergreen trees (spruce,fir,pine) which would screen the view for the neighboring properties.
Seiler’s Memorandum quotes the cost of the new softball field to be $23,350, consisting of land clearing, $4,850; clean fill, $9,000; seed/fertilizer, $1,500; trees--$8,000.
