Town Board Considered Renovation of "Stink Field" to Create Parkway Field (Today's Glover Field) in 1952

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The field complex known today as "Glover Field" took many years -- and one failed school bond vote -- to plan and construct.  By 1935, additions to the original Pelham Memorial High School complex required the School Board to cannibalize the adjacent athletic fields.  Thereafter, the High School had no varsity sports fields whatsoever as the Great Depression roared. Indeed, for years, Pelham varsity teams played most games "away."  Occasionally, they played "home" games.  (Typically that meant that they played on fields in Mount Vernon.)  Additionally, varsity teams had to practice on fields in Mount Vernon.

During the 1940s, however, the Town of Pelham arranged with the Westchester County Park Commission to allow the use of a large swath of land sandwiched between the Hutchinson River Parkway and the Hutchinson River for athletic fields.  The acreage included a large swampy lagoon.  In addition, a Westchester County sewage pumping station stood directly across the Hutchinson River from the field.  Nearby there also was an incineration plant that routinely emitted noxious odors.  The lagoon, sewage pumping station, and incineration plant combined to give the land its time-honored epithet:  "Stink Field."  

The moniker "Stink Field" was first applied by the students attending Pelham Memorial High School during the 1940s.  Members of the Board of Education first learned of the "Stink Field" label during a School Board meeting held in April, 1945 when they asked the high school principal what the kids who used the field thought of it.  According to a published account, the principal "hemmed and hawed a little, then said, 'If you must know they call it Stink Field.'"  Apparently the name was accurately descriptive.  According to one published account, when the tide was out and, thus, the waters of the Hutchinson River were low, there was a stench in the area that made "passers-by retch and gawk."

At first, Stink Field was leased from the Westchester County Park Commission via five-year leases.  Slowly, Pelham organizations poured money into trying to maintain the poorly drained, swampy field to give high school athletes and the children of Pelham a place to play.  Citizens of the Town, however, began to complain about the money being spent to try to maintain fields that, essentially, could not be maintained in a playable condition.  Finally, in 1949, Pelham acquired the entire swath of land from the Westchester County Park Commission in the hope of improving the land for recreation.     

I have written about the history of the creation of Parkway Field, now known as Glover Field, before.  See Tue., Feb. 23, 2010:  A Brief History of the Development and Unveiling of Parkway Field in 1955 -- Known Today as Glover Field.  Part of that history includes the involvement of the Board of Education in the creation of The Pelham Citizens Committee, an advisory committee made up of representatives from virtually all citizen organization then in existence in the Town of Pelham.  

The Board of Education assisted with the creation of that Committee after the first failed bond proposal.  Thereafter, the School Board and members of that Committee worked tirelessly to gain passage of a second bond proposal to authorize the sale of $350,000 worth of bonds to fund development of a sophisticated athletic complex our of an area once described as a "barren, hilly strip of land with a 'field' which exuded rocks and broken glass -- a 'field' which became a swamp after heavy rains."  

The second bond proposal referendum was held on October 29, 1953.  The proposal passed by an overwhelming 6 to 1 margin in what was, at that time, the largest taxpayer vote turnout in Pelham's history.  Over the next two years, the School Board planned and constructed what was then considered to be a world-class athletic facility that opened on October 15, 1955.

Detail from First Page of the Program Issued on the Occasion

of the Dedication of "Parkway Field" (Today's Glover Field)

on October 15, 1955.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes a series of pertinent articles including one published in late 1952 describing an appearance of the Pelham Citizens Committee before the Town Board of the Town of Pelham to lay out the initial plans for the creation of Parkway Field.  Based on landscape designs prepared by landscape architect Webster Cosse and a contractor's estimate from a local builder named Carl Capra, the Citizens Committee estimated that work to construct the field would total $52,700, plus the expense of seeding the area.  The text of that article and others appears immediately below, each followed by a citation to its source.

"Committee Lays Parkway Field Renovation Plan Before Board

PELHAM -- The Pelham Citizens Committee laid its plans for Parkway Field before the Town Board last night.  William B. Shaw said the committee already has received one contractor's estimate to do the entire project for $52,700, and that the development when finished would be 'second to none in the County.'

Supervisor Gordon Miller and the town councilmen said they would review the drawings with members of the Board of Education at a joint meeting set for Tuesday, Jan. 6.

In particular, they queried Mr. Shaw and Carl Capra, builder, who assisted with the plans, about drainage problems at the field and the steps proposed to assure a firm base under the turf.  

'Drainage,' said Councilman Paul R. Larkin, 'has been the main problem on that field.'

Supervisor Miller reminded Mr. Shaw that the Westchester County Park Commission from whom the land was acquired in 1949, also must approve any improvements.  

Shaw Urges Speed

Mr. Shaw recommended that the work be done as soon as possible.  Contractors' prices are lower now than they will be in the Spring when firms are busier, he said.

He also said that Pelham residents will be made well acquainted with the Committee's proposal.  'We are going to appear before every official board and organization in Pelham,' he explained.

The plans aired for the first time last night were drawn by Webster Cosse, landscape architect, who is doing work in New York City and Yonkers.  He is giving his time to the project, Mr. Shaw said, because he subscribes to the belief of the entire committee that Pelham can have an athletic field with facilities for varsity sports and recreation and it need not be prohibitively expensive.

The $52,700 estimate, according to Mr. Shaw, covers everything but seeding.  Surface drainage will be utilized, and any existing problem will be turf over the whole area, he asserted.  

The plans call for grading the area, with considerable fill to be pushed into the lagoon which now is responsible for Parkway Field's time-honored epithet, 'stink field.'  Mr. Shaw said there would be 'about 10 acres on which you can put nearly anything you want.'

Mr. Cosse's plans call for a ball field, baseball and softball fields, a half-mile track with a 200-yard straightaway, a girls' hockey field and a parking space.  A wooded area at the upper end would be left as is.

The Board granted Supervisor Miller authority to obtain any suitable fill to be dumped in the portion of Parkway Field that the Town is attempting to fill in.  Specifically, Mr. Miller had asked permission to use debris from the Black mansion being demolished on Boston Post Road.  

Final payment on the Boston and Westchester demolition will not be made until the contractor removes his steamshovel from the site, Supervisor Miller declared.  He said an allowance of $500 has been made for work which could not be done because insurance coverage expired.  The contractor will allow $100 for ledge rock which remains between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, and $400 for an area not leveled to grade.  This makes $17,500 due on the initial contract of $36,000.

The Board also made two appointments for the coming year, voted its year-end transfer of accounts, fixed salaries for 1953 as covered in the new budget, and amended the town's compensation plan to cover the new pay scale.

Edward F. Hallahan was renamed town assessor and Haskins and Sells were appointed auditors."

Source:  Committee Lays Parkway Field Renovation Plan Before Board, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Dec. 23, 1952, p. 5, cols. 2-4.

"Hutchinson Field Appropriation Is Cause of Split
-----

There was a wordy interchange at the Board of Education on Thursday when the matter of expending more money on the $18,000 Parkway playground was discussed.

Trustee Wm. B. Shaw, chairman of the building and grounds committee, estimated $2,500 would be needed for seed, fertilizer, top soil, embankment and manpower to bring the field into condition and prevent Hutchinson river high tides from flowing over the field.

Chairman Bristol was against the expenditure of large amount.

The playground is leased from the county park commission on a five-year basis.  Across Hutchinson River, which borders it is the county sewage pumping station.  

Trustee Ken Kelly said he did not think much of the field and Trustee Zerbey wanted to call a halt to further expenditures on a dirty, muddy field.

Trustee McIntosh -- I'm not for it.

Trustee Shaw -- You never were for it.  I'm going to get off the Board.  I think I've been on too long.

Trustee Chenery was for putting the requested amount in the budget.  If engineering opinion is favorable to go on with the work.  

Trustee Connolly -- I think we're overlooking one thing.  What do the kids who use the field think?  You can tell us that, Fairclough.  He pointed at the school principal.

Principal Fairclough hemmed and hawed a little, then said, 'If you must know they call it Stink Field.'

'That settles it,' said Trustee Connolly.  'This is recommended by the committee.  Let's put it in the budget.  The budget is not passed yet.  It goes before the public meeting.'  

The Board agreed.  Trustees McIntosh and Zerbey noting an emphatic no."

Source:  Hutchinson Field Appropriation is Cause of Split, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 19, 1945, p. 1, col. 7.

"In The Mail Box

Use Travers Island

To the Editor,
The Pelham Sun,

Dear Sir:  

Much has been said in recent months about the plans for the improvement of the athletic field along the Hutchinson River Parkway in Pelham Manor where the high school athletic teams have been playing varsity games.  As I understand it, the school district has been put to considerable expense attempting to put that field in good condition.  However, no matter what the expense conditions never seem to get any better.  Many of the boys who use the field have suffered severe injuries due to the poor condition of the field.  It seems to me that in times such as these the public funds could be turned to much better use than to pour into a project that gets nowhere.

On the other hand Pelham is not without adequate athletic field facilities, which could be turned over to the school district for varsity athletics with little trouble, it seems to me.  I refer to the athletic field formerly used by the N. Y. A. C. teams at Travers Island.  Here is an athletic plant without equal in this part of the country.  For years the athletic club teams drew large attendances not only from the Pelhams but from all over the metropolitan area.  The Travers Island athletic field is not being used at all now, and I am sure that the Board of Education could with little difficulty, arrange with the athletic club authorities for the temporary use of Travers Island pending other suitable post war arrangements for an athletic field closer to the high school.  True it's not next door to the high school, but it's closer than the athletic fields of many hundreds of other schools or colleges for that matter.

Let's not waste any more money on 'Stink Field.'  In wartime until we can get a new athletic field closer to the school, let our varsity contests be played at Travers Island.  Many champions have been made there.  It will have added inspiration for our young athletes.  Let's get our teams out of the mud and onto a decent playing field.

FORMER PELICAN."

Source:  In The Mail Box - Use Travers Island, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 12, 1945, p. 2, cols. 2-3.  

"MUST BE REMEDIED QUICKLY
-----

It was our unpleasant experience to drive on Hutchinson River Parkway past the Colonial Avenue pond a few nights ago.  The tide was out and the pond was a mass of mud and worse.  From it there arose a stench that makes passers-by retch and gawk.  An open sewer could not have caused a more objectionable odor.

For a good many months The Pelham Sun has called attention to the disgusting conditions prevailing at this point whenever the tide is low.  

The pond adjoins the school recreation field of the High School.  The pupils call the spot Stink Field.  

Heretofore complaints have been met with a helpless gesture by county parkway authorities.  Nothing can be done, they said, until after the war.  Well, the war is over, and the odor remains.  It is a foul, unholy mess that must be remedied before a fearsome disease is bred in its filth.

The adjoining sewage pumping station, we are given to understand, has a bypass, by means of which raw sewage can be discharged into the Hutchinson Creek.  Our olfactory nerves lead us to believe that in some manner or other sewage IS emptying into the stream.  Only in a like manner could such a foul effluent be created.

How long have the residents of adjoining Pelham Manor had to submit to the stench of the pond adjoining Stink Field and the varied but all objectionable odors wafted over them from the Mount Vernon incineration plant?

The time is ripe now that the war is over for an emphatice demand that conditions now existing be remedied quickly.

People have rights and there are health laws on the statute books that guarantee them protection from health endangering conditions.  For years The Pelham Sun has advocated that a hard tidal barrier with an operating gate about six feet wide in the center be constructed in Hutchinson Creek so that a minimum depth of three feet of water could be maintained in Colonial Avenue pond at all times.  This, we believe, would eliminate the foulness of its present conditions.  Otherwise let's have it filled and the creek put into a condition that can be cleaned.

As to the incineration plant, the need for repairs is visible.  The need for better operation is obvious to those living in the vicinity whenever a westerly wind blows.

Both of these unhealthy forms of nuisances can be attacked and remedy demanded.  They are a menace to public health.  We look to the village fathers and the head of the town board to take action right away.  The war is over.  The remedying of these conditions should be the first post-war project."

Source:  MUST BE REMEDIED QUICKLY, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 6, 1945, Vol. 36, No. 21, p. 2, col. 2.  

"Students Urge Parkway Field Expansion In Recreation Parley

PELHAM -- 

Determined that their attempts to speed up action on developing Parkway Field be brought to the attention of all official bodies concerned, delegates from Pelham Memorial High School appeared before the Recreation Commission at its monthly meeting in Town Hall last night.  

The three students, part of a larger delegation which had approached the Town Board previously, indicated their intention of appearing before the monthly meeting of the Board of Education tonight.

Answering a question posed by Commissioner George Erickson, the students said they believed it was important to establish not only a football field but also a wider range of play area for girl students.  The Recreation Commission indicated that the matter would be considered by the joint committee of Town, School and Recreation officials. . . . "

Source:  Students Urge Parkway Field Expansion In Recreation Parley, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Nov. 9, 1950, p. 4, cols. 4-5.  

"Parkway Field Dedicated at Pelham

One of the most important days in recent school history occurred in Pelham during 1955.  

It was the dedication of the community's 11-acre recreation area, Parkway Field, in the process of completion during the past two years at a cost of $350,000.  

Subject of planning (and occasionally sharp public debate) for more than five years, the new field provides a much-needed football field, track, field house, tennis courts, baseball diamond and other facilities.

It was started in October, 1953, under Board of Education auspices and occupies a tract along Eastchester Creek opposite Hutchinson Field, Mount Vernon.  

In addition, the school board during 1955 spent approximately $17,000 for a girls' play area adjacent to Memorial High School.

This area, known as Franklin Field, will consist of two sections, the second scheduled for completion this year.

Building renovation at some schools may be considered, according to school officials, but these projects will not be clarified until preparation of the new budget begins.

A pre-school census recently completed and compiled by the office of Radcliffe Morrill, superintendent of schools, indicates that Pelham will experience a little growth in school population, but not sufficient to warrant expenditure for new buildings or additions."

Source:  Parkway Field Dedicated At Pelham, Yonkers Herald Statesman [Yonkers, NY], Jan. 17, 1956, p. 18A, cols. 5-8.

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Report of Investigation of Pelham Sewage Disposal Plant Prepared in 1921

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In the early 20th century, as the population of Pelham continued to grow, the Town of Pelham struggled to ensure its residents had the basics -- clean water, sewage disposal, adequate housing, and more.  Among the most difficult problems faced by the Town was the proper treatment and disposal of sewage.

The Town constructed a sewage disposal plant on the eastern bank of the Hutchinson River in an area near today's "Glover Field" (which once was known, as a consequence, as "Stink Field").  An investigation by State authorities in 1921, however, concluded that the plant was not being maintained or run properly.  The report, which provides an interesting glimpse into the mechanisms for sewage disposal at the outset of the Roaring '20s, is transcribed below, followed by a citation to its source.

"PELHAM

An investigation was made by Mr. A. I. Howd of this Department on June 1, 1921, of the sewage disposal plant of the town of Pelham, Westchester county. N. Y.

The town of Pelham is situated in the southcentral part of Westchester county a short distance north of New York city between the city of Mount Vernon on the west and the city of New Rochelle on the east. The incorporated villages of Pelham, North Pelham and Pelham Manor comprise the town. They are provided with a water supply furnished principally by the New Rochelle Water Company, practically all of the residents being supplied. The town has a population of about 5,000.

The sewage disposal plant for the town is located in the village of Pelham Manor on the east side of the Hutchinson river. The disposal works consist of a screen and grit chamber, settling tanks, pumping plant, dosing tank and sprinkling filters. Previous inspections of the operation of the plant have been made by this Division in 1914 and 1918.

The whole of the village of Pelham and all of North Pelham are served by sewer systems tributary to the Pelham sewage disposal plant except a small area of about 30 acres, comprising about one-tenth of the area of North Pelham, the sewage from which is discharged into the Mount Vernon sewer system. The sewage from a small area in the southern part of Pelham Manor is discharged into a series of so-called liquefying tanks, the effluent from which is discharged into Long Island sound. The sewage from about 35 per cent of the area of the village of Pelham Manor flows by gravity to a pumping station, known as the Mt. Tom pumping station, from which it is pumped through 2,000 feet of force main to a point on Pelhamdale [Page 309 / Page 310] avenue where it empties into a sewer which carries it by gravity to the Pelham sewage disposal plant. The remainder of the village is served by a gravity system which conducts the sewage to the main sewage disposal plant.

The sewage from the different sections of the town flows through three main trunk sewers to a manhole outside the sewage disposal plant. There is a by-pass from this manhole through which r:aw sewage may be discharged direct into the creek. The by-pass is provided with a valve which will prevent sewage being discharged into the creek except at the discretion of the operator of the plant, but which does not prevent water from the creek backing up into the sewage disposal plant at times of high water.

The sewage enters the disposal plant through a screen and grit chamber located under the floor of a building which also houses the settling tanks, pumping plant and dosing chambers. The screens, which are of the bar type, were so clogged at the time of the inspection that the sewage was running over the top of the screens. It was learned from the attendant at the plant that the screens had not been cleaned for a considerable time and that the grit chamber was cleaned about two months previous to the inspection. According to the attendant, the grit chamber is cleaned about every three months, the cleanings being buried near the plant. The clogging of the screens caused the sewage to back up in the sewers approaching the plant, a manhole 300 or 400 feet from the plant being virtually filled' with sewage.

The settling tanks are divided into four units, the two northerly units being in operation at the time of the inspection. The capacity of the two units is about 78,600 gallons which provides 'an average detention period for the sewage of about 2 hours. These units had been in continuous use for about two months. A considerable portion of the sewage in the tanks was covered with a thick, crusted brown scum. The tanks not in use were filled with water. The sludge is emptied from the tanks from time to time and was said by the attendant to be buried in the ground near the plant.

The dosing tanks and automatic siphons were not operating properly at the time of the inspection. The dosing tanks were not emptied in rotation and the periods of dosing and resting of the filters were irregular.
Observations were made about noon which indicated at that time that Bed No. 1 was being dosed for a period of about one minute and was resting for about two minutes between doses. Bed No. 3 was being dosed for periods ranging from 15 seconds to 1 minute 20 seconds and was resting from 1 minute 45 seconds to 2 minutes 40 seconds. Bed No. 2 was not dosed during the observations. Later in the afternoon observations were continued. Bed No. 2 dosed for 5-1/2 minutes evidently for the first time in several hours. About one-half hour later Bed No. 3 was dosed for 6-1/4 minutes and near the end of the dose Bed No. 1 began to dose and was dosed for nearly 9 minutes. The beds were not dosed again during the remainder of the observations, Bed No. 2 having rested for an hour.

The sprinkling filters were being operated at an average rate of about 1,670,000 gallons per acre per day. It appeared at the time of the inspection that the center unit was operating considerably below this rate and the other two units considerably in excess of this rate. Several of the sprinkler nozzles in the center unit were clogged and in need of cleaning.

The effluent from the sprinkling filters was somewhat cloudy but apparently free from large particles of suspended matter. The stream into which the sewage is discharged is grossly polluted and the black muck on the banks of the creek presents a very unsightly appearance at low tide.

It was evident at the time of the inspection that the sewers were receiving excessive amounts of ground water and probably large quantities of storm water. This condition was plainly noticeable at a manhole on Pelhamdale avenue where sewage empties from the force main from the Mt. Tom pumping station into the gravity system. The sewage was quite clear and at the time free from any large particles.

It was impossible at the time of the inspection to make satisfactory observations as to the distance from the plant at which odors might be [Page 309 / Page 310] detected. While the inspection was being made at the plant, the wind was in the east carrying any odors that might arise across the river toward Mount Vernon. An attempt was made during the afternoon to observe odors from the Mount Vernon shore but before any satisfactory observation was made the wind shifted to the west.

It is evident as a result of the inspection that the sewage disposal plant of the town of Pelham is not being satisfactorily operated and several conditions should be immediately remedied.

The by-pass to the river from the manhole on the main sewer leading to the plant and located just outside the main building, should be removed or satisfactorily sealed. Its existence and use defeats the purpose for which the sewage disposal plant was constructed and is being operated, and furthermore, the discharge of raw sewage into the Hutchinson river through this by-pass is a violation of the public health law. This Department has recommended a number of times in the past that this by-pass be removed or sealed.

The screens in the screen and grit chamber should be cleaned several times a day or as often as is necessary to prevent sewage flowing over screens and so that they may be used for the purpose for which they were intended. The screenings should be removed and disposed of in a satisfactory sanitary manner. Under no condition should the screenings be pushed or discharged into the channel leading to the settling tank or be discharged into the Hutchinson river.

The discharge of sewage from the pumps into the dosing tanks should be more evenly regulated. It appeared at the time of the inspection that the middle dosing chamber received less sewage than the other chambers, since the middle sprinkling filter unit discharged less often than the end filter units. This lack of uniformity of distribution of sewage to the dosing tanks might possibly be corrected by increasing or decreasing the size of the openings from the distribution channel to the various dosing tanks.

The siphons, particularly those serving Bed No. 1 and Bed No. 3, should be overhauled and put in a proper operating condition so that all the sewage in the dosing tank shall be discharged in one dose and not allowed to dribble intermittently for several minutes.

In a report dated July 23, 1921, the following recommendations were made:

1. That the by-pass allowing raw sewage to pass directly to the Hutchinson river be entirely sealed up or removed and if any overflow is deemed necessary, that an overflow be provided for the effluent from the settling tanks to be used only in case of emergency such as the breaking down of the pumps.

2. That the screens be cleaned regularly and as often as may be necessary to prevent their clogging.

3. That provision be made for the disposal of the screenings in a sanitary manner.

4. That the openings in the distribution channel discharging settling tank effluent into the dosing chamber be so modified that uniform distribution of the settling tank effluent over the sprinkling filters may be effected.

5. That the clogged sprinkling filter nozzles or risers be cleaned.

6. That a competent sanitary engineer be employed to design and prepare plans for a sludge drying bed for the proper disposal of sludge from the plant.

7. That the town authorities in charge of the sewage disposal plant employ a competent sanitary engineer to have charge of the operation and maintenance of the sewage disposal plant.

8. That the town authorities provide for a comprehensive survey of the town to determine from what sources water from catch basins, drains, or roof leaders may enter the sewer system and require the immediate disconnection of all such sources.

Copies of the report were sent to the local boards of health of the town of Pelham and the village of Pelham Manor, to the sanitary supervisor of the district and to the board of sewer commissioners of Pelham."

Source:  State of New York - Forty-Second Annual Report of the State Department of Health for the Year Ending December 31, 1921, Vol. I, pp. 308-10 (Albany, NY:  B. Lyon Company, 1922) (Legislative Document (1922), No. 27).

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