Leading off today: Glens Falls voters approved a proposition on Tuesday to install a synthetic turf athletic field at the high school as part of a $3.1 million renovation. The upgrade, rejected a year ago, will cost the average homeowner about $7 more a year in taxes.

   Clarkstown voters approved the budget as well as a $5.8 million proposition to install artificial turf fields at both high schools and make other improvements. That project will cost the average taxpayer $11 annually.

   The smooth sailing was undoubtedly a relief to new Superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan, who had a short and bitter tenure running the Greece schools in suburban Rochester (see below).

   Orchard Park voters also approved a turf field. In Bethlehem, funding was restored for hockey, gymnastics and cheerleading as voters approved the budget. Mechanicville voters, who rejected the budget last year, restored athletics as part of a $19.3 million budget they approved. Tarrytowns voters OK'd the $55.6 million school budget but a proposal to spend $3.6 million on turf fields at Sleepy Hollow High School and Washington Irving was rejected.

   Some very substantial budget proposals failed:

• Albany voters said no to a $189.5 million proposal for the second consecutive year, this time by a margin of 2,699-2,345.
• Greece voters turned down the $188.4 million plan by a margin of 3,755-3,045.
• Ithaca City School District voters rejected a $91.7 million budget by a 1,499-1,290 margin in the lowest turnout in 11 years.
• Corning-Painted Post voters said no to a $74.3 million plan by a 1,146-1,074 margin.

   The situation in Greece, a huge suburb of Rochester, is downright ugly. In addition to rejecting the budget, voters soundly turned down propositions to purchase new buses, set up a capital reserve fund to pay for future bus purchases, and spend $21.4 million on repairs and renovations.

   The repair/renovation plan was going to be done via the state's EXCEL fund, which meant that it was essentially a freebie for local residents. But the mood in that district is so foul that even that proposition suffered a mauling in the voting booth.

   Greece voters previously rejected budgets in 2002 and 2003. Superintendent Steven Achramovitch said he's unsure whether there will be a second vote or if the board will adopt a contingency budget.

   If a second vote fails and the district ends up having to go the austerity route, the athletic programs at four high schools -- Athena, Olympia, Arcadia and Odyssey -- will be at risk. I wasn't able to extract a hard number from the district's 57-page budget summary, but my best guess is

that boosters and athletes might need to come up with about $1.5 million to fully fund sports next school year.

   West Genny goalie scores: Syracuse-bound goalie John Galloway scored a goal Tuesday as West Genesee (16-0) routed Cicero-North Syracuse in boys lacrosse, 15-3. Wildcats coach Mike Messere believes that Jeremy Platt (1997) is the only other goalie to have done that for Upstate New York's most storied program.

   Strictly opinion: Hey, I'm a big Mike Hopkins fan. I liked him as a player and understand he's better than your average Division I recruiter these days as an assistant.

   And if ESPN's report is correct, he will soon be anointed as the head coach in waiting at Syracuse, in line to ascend to the top job when Jim Boeheim retires in five or 10 years.

   But am I the only one who thinks Hopkins needs some seasoning beyond 12 years as the No. 2 or 3 assistant inside the Carrier Dome? Wouldn't it be the smart move for both Hopkins and the Orange for him to spend two or three seasons as a head coach somewhere larger than a podunk but smaller than the Big East?

   I'm thinking Saint Bonaventure would have been the perfect place for him to get some game management experience. He certainly would have been able to lure a few decent recruits to Olean (no easy task these days).

   And, heaven forbid, if he managed to put together consecutive seasons of, say, 12-15, 15-14 and 17-12, it would have been confirmation that he was ready for the bigs. The 'Cuse or some other high-visibilty program could then snap him up and get Hopkins started on the final 25 years of his coaching career.

   That's why yesterday's news has to be taken with a grain of salt. Hopkins is being given a ceremonial title that will look good on his resume and letterhead when he corresponds with prospective recuits. But anyone who's ready to hand the keys to the car to a veteran assistant with little or no head coaching experience should go to Google and look up "Pasqualoni, Paul."

   Extra points: Saratoga Catholic senior shortstop Vince Farfaglia has broken the Section 2 record for career hits. The Times Union in Albany says he stands No. 4 on the all-time state list with 167 hits. . . . Left-hander Lars Johnson struck out out nine to carry Lake Placid to a 6-3 win over Northeastern Clinton on Tuesday -- the Blue Bombers' first victory since the 2004 season.

   There's a good follow-up and analysis by Tom Dowd in The Staten Island Advance this morning regarding Tim Hynes' recent resignation under pressure as boys basketball coach at McKee-Staten Istand Tech. The phrase "what a mess" certainly comes to mind, and MSIT is the leader in the clubhouse for the title of Most Screwed Up Athletic Program In New York.

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