St. Joseph building sports complex

The tennis courts were taken over for temporary classrooms. The women's softball program never even had a home.

But St. Joseph's College plans to fix those growing pains with the construction of a $14-million sports complex on a 24.8-acre site in East Patchogue, about a mile east of its Patchogue campus.

"Both in size and in anticipation for what it will bring to us, we're chomping at the bit," said Don Lizak, athletic director at the college.

Five years in the planning, the sports complex will be located off Sunrise Highway between Phyllis Drive and Hospital Road.

The campus expansion will provide the school community with much-needed amenities for the entire student body, the college president said in an email statement.

"We see the value in and need for future enhancements and expansion particularly in this area, as enrollment continues to increase and campus clubs and student activities continue to grow and thrive at the College," said Sister Elizabeth Hill.

Lizak said the new complex could elevate the school's profile.

"I think that's why everyone is so anxious to see it completed," he said. "It holds the potential for other parts of the college to come together."

The complex will include fields for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer, as well as bleacher seating for 1,500 spectators.

"The first phase of construction, which includes a stadium, 400-meter all-weather track, tennis courts and lacrosse and soccer fields, should be ready by the fall 2011 season," St. Joseph's chief financial officer John Roth said in the email.

Two local civic associations said they initially supported the sports complex when school officials approached them three years ago.

But they've grown worried about increased traffic on nearby roads, glare from the baseball field lights spilling into nearby homes, and most importantly, the acres of trees cut down on the property during construction.

"The problem is the contractor took 15 feet of woods in the back," said Marita Morello, president of the Focus East Patchogue civic association. "That was all taken away. That was really upsetting."

Laura Persichilli, president of Swan Lake Civic Association, said her group's biggest issue "is the amount of vegetation they removed from the property. They cleared pretty much up to Lake Drive and we didn't picture it to be that way."

Morello and Persichilli said the college has told them they would replant the trees.

"We will do our best to be a good part of the community," Lizak said. "Those considerations were addressed and we are always very sensitive to what's going on."