Village of Mineola officials are in discussions with a developer over Field #3, the athletic field located behind the Mineola pool. The field, sometimes used by the Mineola Athletic Association (MAA) and Police Athletic League (PAL), is in poor condition and village officials see its development as an opportunity to turn the field into a state-of-the-art athletic complex.

The agreement between the village and the developer, American Sports Management, would have the developer construct a state-of-the-art outdoor field and a state-of-the-art indoor field under a bubble. The village would retain ownership of the property and would lease it to the developer. The developer would also have to agree to give the village time on the fields so that the village could then issue permits for the MAA and PAL. In the times when the fields aren't in use for the village, American Sports Management could rent them out to leagues that are looking for fields to play on.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for us to take a field that is underutilized and reluctantly utilized when it is because of the concerns about the quality of the field and replace it with two state-of-the-art fields that are not only going to be safer for our children but provide us with a much broader range of uses without having to spend a dime," Mineola Mayor Jack Martins said.

Village Trustee Paul Cusato, who is the board's liaison to the MAA and a former president of the MAA, said he was concerned about the amount the village's organization may receive but since there are two fields, he is excited about the possibility development could bring the village. "As long as there is a second field with lights, I am totally in favor of this idea," he said.

Martins sees many positives in the possible agreement between the village and American Sports Management. "You're replacing a field that nobody wants to play on with fields that are going to meet our needs to generations to come," he said, adding that there will be enough time allocated to the village for the use of the fields to meet the needs of the village's recreational uses.

In addition, the village is negotiating to lease the property and may bargain for a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) from the developer. The village would have to negotiate the revenue but it also would have to make financial sense to the developer.

Village attorney John Spellman said that there would be a presentation to the village board and the public sometime in the future. But before that, environmental tests would have to be conducted on the site to determine what kind of cleanup of the site is needed. "Right now, when we just treat the surface of that field, we don't have to worry about environmental cleanup. However, there is a certain moral obligation here that you just don't leave that problem to the next generation and if we know it, it's an opportunity to clean up a site or make it usable so that we don't pass along that problem and to secure seriously improved recreational facilities for the village," he said.

One possible problem down the road is parking. If there is a league using the field in the summer months with the pool open, parking could be tight.