Developer seeks funds for sports complex

A developer from Yaphank with designs on building a huge sports complex on town-owned property in Central Islip says he has applied for $25 million in state funding for the project.

Andy Borgia submitted applications last month to the Empire State Development Agency, which is part of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. The council, one of 10 panels statewide that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo set up in July, has until Nov. 14 to identify key projects to submit to Albany for funding consideration.

"It's an opportunity we didn't have before," said Borgia, who is leasing the land for the project. "We are hoping we get grants and funding that would allow us to build the entire project."

Last month, sources said the infrastructure working group, a key subcommittee of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, will recommend seven regional development projects for public and private funding -- including the Ronkonkoma Hub-Long Island MacArthur Airport redevelopment. Borgia's project was not among the recommendations.

If the funds are approved for Borgia, the 205,000-square-foot Ultimate Game Sports Complex -- which would include multipurpose fields for lacrosse, soccer, football and softball as well as a building for indoor fields and basketball courts -- could be built at one time, Borgia said.

Under an agreement with the Town of Islip reached in June, Borgia can build in phases and can forgo the indoor fields. The agreement also gave Borgia more time to construct the project, reduced his payments to the town, and allowed him to reduce the number and type of fields he plans to build.

He said his project should be recommended for state funding because it would provide sports and recreation to a population that really needs it. He added that the complex would create 150 to 200 full-time jobs with salaries ranging from $35,000 to $80,000 a year.

Austin Shafran, a spokesman for the Empire State Development Agency, said the organization will not release information about who applied for the funds because "it's a competitive process." He said each council will choose projects that align with their plans for the region's development.

"The overall theme of this is investing where there are clear and measurable outcomes for success," Shafran said.

Last year, the Islip Town Board voted to lease a 36-acre network of sports fields in Central Islip to Borgia to develop the complex. Local civic leaders have praised the project, saying such a facility is long overdue in Central Islip.