‘If we didn’t have this, we would stay home and play video games’: New track and field opens (photos)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Borough residents took advantage of warm temperatures and sunny skies Saturday ahead of the rain by getting active on the new all-purpose field at Morris Intermediate School (I.S. 61).

Previously closed to the public, the new track and field in Brighton Heights are now open on weekends for all to enjoy.

The school unveiled its new $1.1 million track and synthetic turf field in October.

The idea to build a new track and field came from students and Principal Kuzaliwa Campbell.

Borough President Vito Fossella contributed $700,000, and City Councilmember Kamillah Hanks contributed $400,000 to fund the project.

Morris student William Vargas, 14, practiced soccer with friends on Saturday.

“With the new field, you have more kids playing on it, like football, basketball, soccer and stuff,’’ he said. They did a pretty good job on this field.”

Vargas said if the field was not open on weekends, “We wouldn’t know where to play, so we would probably just stay home and play video games.”

Silver Lake resident Michael Molina, 17, a student at Staten Island Academy, took advantage of the field’s opening to practice tennis.

Molina was initially unaware that the field was open. “The first time I passed by, I saw the front gate was closed, but then I saw the sign, and I was like, wow, it’s open.

“There aren’t a lot of people here, probably because not everybody knows it’s open . . . even though it’s great here. I love the neighborhood. It’s a great park. So, yeah, I love it,” he added.

Edward Reyes, 17, of Stapleton, a McKee High School student, joined friends to play basketball and toss a football around.

He pointed out that the field has all the football field markings.

“It’s nice to see where we can actually point out where the ball should be, instead of having to have different objects serve as yard lines,’’ Reyes said. ”And honestly, it looks like a high school field, just a little smaller.”

Reyes said he found out about the field being open from the Advance/SILive.com. “I saw the post and came to check it out,” he said.

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