Leading off today: One step forward and two steps back. That's the state of progress in the Syracuse area these days in the area of athletic facilities.
On the plus side, Liverpool voters yesterday approved a proposition to renovate the high school stadium and install new artificial turf after twice rejecting similar proposals last year. The $5.8 million undertaking was OK'd by a margin of 3,684 to 1,474, with a handful of absentee ballots yet to be counted, The Post-Standard reported.
"This is a great outcome," Superintendent Jan Matousek said. "I'm glad we can move on and get our turf and track back on line and get our kids home."
The 10-year-old artificial turf stadium was declared unsafe in December 2007 after the field's surface bubbled because of problems with the base, school officials said.
The football team had to play home games at nearby schools last fall, and the lacrosse team will do likewise for the second straight year. Construction is expected to begin in October and take up to a year to complete.
Meanwhile, Section 3 still doesn't have a viable solution for the loss of Manley Field House, which Syracuse University is converting into a practice facility for its football and lacrosse teams.
Tonight's Section 3 state qualifier is the last indoor high school track meet scheduled for the facility, displacing approximately 1,500 athletes from 60 schools beginning next season. Section 3 official John Rathbun says a committee is exploring options, but Cortland State, Hamilton College, and Colgate are distant locations for many districts that are increasingly conscious of the cost of transporting teams to faraway events.
Lourdes is out: Our Lady of Lourdes, ranked 13th by the NYSSWA, dropped a 72-61 decision to Ossining in the Section 1 Class AA girls basketball semifinals at the Westchester County Center.
