Athletic fields at Farnsworth Middle School were torn up after more than 1,000 people turned out for a state civil service exam and parking overflowed onto the grass.
The Guilderland Police Department was called at approximately 8:40 a.m. on Saturday, March 22, because traffic was backing up onto Route 155 and Western Avenue as drivers attempted to enter Farnsworth Middle School. Police and Guilderland school district officials described the incident as a public safety issue. In the scramble to park vehicles and clear up roadways, though, athletic fields at the school were ruined when people left after the test.
Guilderland Superintendent of Schools Marie Wiles estimated repairing the fields would cost around $6,000, which is also how much the state paid to hold the tests at the school.
“From everything I heard, it was a disaster,” Wiles said.
Capt. Curtis Cox said police, upon arrival, directed traffic into the school and onto the fields.
“The field was authorized by an employee of the school district. We believed at that time of the day, the ground was frozen,” Cox said. “Our intent down there was to get the traffic cleared up … so it is a safe environment.”
As the day went on, the frozen fields thawed and people taking the test were forced to drive off the wet ground, which resulted in deep tires tracks through the muddy surface.
“I am not sure who directed to park them on the field, but, in fact, they had to,” Wiles said. “I don’t think there was a choice. If we are going to make a choice between a public safety issue and the field … it would have been horrible if someone got hurt.”
District officials were under the impression 1,000 people would be coming to the two scheduled testing times on Saturday, with 500 people attending each testing session. Another two rounds of tests were scheduled for the following day but were canceled because of the overflow problem.
The state Department of Civil Service wrote 1,000 people would be coming on the form, Wiles said, but it didn’t specify if the figure was per session or the whole day. After the morning session, the same number of people turned out for the afternoon session, she said. The parking lot has approximately 500 spaces.
“If we knew that 1,000 people were coming for each session, we probably would have said we can’t do it at the middle school and may have suggested the high school, Wiles said.
Ed Walsh, spokesman for the Department of Civil Service, said state officials thought the turnout was clearly identified before the event.
“We have to be more diligent that the whole school and us are on the same page in regards to volume,” Walsh said. “We are reviewing … our process, and the goal is obviously to make sure we don’t have any other misunderstandings of this type in the future.”
For the most recent exam, Walsh said, tests were held at more than 20 locations statewide and there were no other issues. He also said that a similar incident has not previously occurred.
Jerry Boone, commissioner for the state Department of Civil Service, visited the fields located in front of the middle school on Tuesday, March 25. Boone also met with Wiles to explain the process for presenting a claim to the state to be reimbursed for field repairs.
“We hope to start the repairs immediately,” Wiles said Friday, March 28. “We are just waiting now for the weather to cooperate.”
Repairing the fields will likely take a couple days of labor, Wiles said, but the extensive damage on the four acres will result in the affected land not being used during the spring season. Wiles said the fields might still be closed during the fall sports season, too.
The damaged fields are primarily used for lacrosse and soccer, along with physical education classes. The district plans to move activities on the field to either the back or side fields at the school.
“We are going to go ahead and make the repairs right away, and hopefully we get reimbursed for all of our costs,” Wiles said.
Some homeowners near the school also claimed to have sustained lawn damage from the incident. Wiles knew one family called the district about damage and others had reached out through social networks or email.
The district posted a link on its website, www.guilderlandschools.org, with information on how homeowners could file a claim regarding the incident.
The district did hold a state exam at the school on March 8, but only around 460 people turned out. Wiles expressed reservation over the district hosting another state exam.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Right now, I would lean against it. At the moment we are not keen on it.”