$12.5M bond to allow Kellenberg High to continue using field for sports

Nassau officials have approved a $12.5 million bond resolution that will allow Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale to continue using a vacant 8.2-acre site as athletic fields.

The Nassau County Local Economic Assistance Corporation at a meeting Monday afternoon approved the resolution for the Catholic school to finance a 69-year sublease for the property -- a move praised by Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano.

"My economic development team is happy to assist Kellenberg Memorial High School in better serving its student athletes," Mangano said in a statement.

And, "It means we have more space for the activities that we have," said the Rev. Philip Eichner, president of Kellenberg.

The property is at the southwest corner of Glenn Curtiss Boulevard and Hempstead Turnpike. Kellenberg is buying the sublease from Charles Wang, who for years had proposed transforming the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum area across the street.

His Lighthouse project would have renovated the Coliseum, where the NHL hockey team he owns, the Islanders, played, and also built houses, offices, restaurants and stores. In 2011, voters defeated a referendum to renovate the Coliseum, and the project collapsed.

Kellenberg's purchase of the sublease is complicated, because other entities also are involved. Nassau County owns the land and leases it to Reckson Plaza LLC and BEC EAB LLC, according to county officials. Those entities subleased it to a Charles Wang entity, which now is assigning its subtenant's interest in the sublease to Province of Meribah Society of Mary Inc.

That is the not-for-profit corporation formed by the Marianist Brothers who operate Kellenberg along with Chaminade High School and St. Martin de Porres Marianist School in Uniondale, which serves students from pre-K through the eighth grade.

Brother Kenneth Hoagland, principal of Kellenberg, said the high school needs the fields for its students to play sports, including intramural teams. "It's a good day for everyone involved," he said.

Kellenberg has had a license to use the property, formerly part of the Mitchel Field Complex, for the past three years, county officials said.

The property was overgrown and abandoned when the school first obtained a sublease from Wang, and asked him if it would be OK to clean it up, Hoagland said. Wang agreed, and the school did so.

Deed restrictions prevent any building on the property, county officials said, and Hoagland said the school has no intentions of doing so.

In addition to paying for the lease, Kellenberg also must pay Nassau County $184,000 per year in rent, said Peter Curry, an attorney representing Kellenberg.

While the bond resolution permits up to $12.5 million, Kellenberg will likely use only about $11.8 million, Curry said.

"This financing will help a leading educational institution maintain its highly regarded sports program and support student athletes," said Joseph Kearney, chief executive of the Local Economic Assistance Corporation.

The corporation was created by the Nassau Legislature in 2010 to assist not-for-profits. By using the county-endorsed bonds, the Meribah Society of Mary will not have to pay local, state or federal income taxes on the bonds.

Nassau County and the Local Economic Assistance Corporation are not responsible for payment of interest or principal on the bonds.