A day years in the making, members of the College of Staten Island, led by Interim President Dr. Timothy G. Lynch, welcomed guests on campus for the dedicated groundbreaking of the CSI Track and Athletic Field renovation project, which has officially launched. Guest of honor, New York State Assemblyman Michael J. Cusick offered words at the event, which was followed by other guest speakers and the official shovel-in-the-ground moment to officially introduce the scope of work, scheduled for completion this summer.
“We’ve reached a landmark day for our facility, our Track and Field Athletics program, and the thousands of community members who utilize our grounds and this facility behind us every year,” said Dr. Lynch in his remarks. “It has taken us years to get to this day, a testament to the architectural, design, and engineering plans for this facility, and the incredible efforts of so many dedicated workers that will come to fruition in the coming months.”
In an effort to enhance outdoor athletic facilities for the CSI and Staten Island communities, the Track and Multi-Purpose Field Renovation will include new drainage, a new resilient running track surface, a synthetic turf multi-purpose competition field, new long jump/triple jump and pole vault installation, and athletic field equipment and landscaping, as well as installation of a water line and ground hydrants as part of the irrigation system, all necessary track drainage, field underdrain, and subsurface storm water detention system. Dr. Lynch thanked and then gave way to Assemblyman Cusick, representative of NY State’s 63rd District, whose office helped fund the project.
“It’s an exciting day for me and for the Borough of Staten Island,” said Assemblyman Cusick, commenting on the many agencies who utilize the field each year. “We owe a special thanks to everyone at the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York and Governor Hochul’s office, who has been instrumental in making sure we move forward with this much-needed state-of-the art facility that has come to serve so many on Staten Island.”
Also on hand to offer words to the event were CSI Interim Director of Athletics T.J. Tibbs, along with Track and Field scholar-athletes Sam Pope ’24 and Ava Thompson ’25, who spoke on how the new facility will have a profound effect on the NCAA Division II athletic program, raising the level of training and competitive opportunities for the relatively new Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams. Pope, a Texas native and Dolphin Cove resident, is a Biology major who spoke about being recruited to play and study at the College, with the Track facility playing a major role. Thompson, a first year student in the Macaulay Honors College, is an Engineering major with a 3.9 GPA. She spoke of how CSI was a first-choice institution for her as a resident Staten Islander, and how honored she is to be a part of the developing program.
The existing grounds also serve thousands of area youth and community members who utilize CSI’s campus year round, both on the track and on the enclosed field.
At the conclusion of the program, Dr. Lynch, Assemblyman Cusick, and City University of New York Trustee Michael Arvanites officially took to planting ceremonial shovels into the existing field, and were then joined by CSI Vice President for Facilities Hope Berte, and CUNY Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction, and Management Mohamed Attalla. Representatives from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, and Athletics personnel, as well as several dozen student-athletes also had their turn.
“It’s amazing to see everyone celebrating this event and the growth and transformation we’ve seen on campus,” commented Assemblyman Cusick post-event. “I’m so proud of the College of Staten Island for being representatives for this area, working with leadership to consistently improve campus and facilitate the needs for students to further their education and their pursuits.”
Photos of the event are available here.
A CSI News Brief commemorating the event is available here.
