GENEROUS SUPPORT
NYRA loans picnic tables to Saratoga Springs School District
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Anyone who has been to a pre-pandemic Travers Day at the Saratoga Race Course will tell you that picnic tables are a precious commodity.
But with spectators banned from the track this year, the tables have been sitting unused since the start of race season — until the New York Racing Association (NYRA) stepped in.
Now, these precious commodities will be put to good use. On the heels of a $20,000 donation to local charities from the sales of designer masks, NYRA continues to support the local community by loaning 175 picnic tables to the Saratoga Springs Central School District.
The tables will be in use by the schools for the entire 2020-21 school year. They’ll have to be returned in June to get ready for the 2021 race season, but school district representatives say that’s more than enough.
“The support that NYRA has provided to us is great. We’re very fortunate,” said Dr. Michael Patton, superintendent of schools.
The picnic tables will allow students to have some socially-distanced time outside, weather permitting. Students will be able to use the tables to eat lunch, study, or simply enjoy the fresh air. Saratoga Springs High School also hopes to use the tables for
outdoor instructional periods, freeing up precious indoor space to keep the students as spread out as possible per its reopening plan.
The idea for picnic tables at the schools first came from Kevin Wolpert, the High School assistant principal.
“NYRA has already donated some tables to the city,” he explained. “The first time I ate out with my family, it was at one of those tables in Congress Park.
It was so nice, I thought ‘wouldn’t it be great if students could have this experience, being able to eat outside during the school year.’
“So I reached out to NYRA.”
Wolpert coordinated with NYRA to arrange the donation of the tables, and says the process was easy to navigate.
“NYRA has been very generous,” he said. “They didn’t just give us the tables, they coached us through the whole process and let us know what we needed to do.”
Wolpert continued, expressing his gratitude for the impact the tables will have on the school year.
“It’s going to allow us to have 200 seats for students outside. It’s giving them a sense of normalcy, when nothing has been normal this year,” he said. “This solves a huge logistical problem for us. All our furniture is very indoor-oriented, and now we have this outdoor option.”
The picnic tables have been packed up from the racecourse and trucked to the district schools, where they will be placed six feet apart in outdoor areas.
When in use, 2 students will be allowed to sit at each table. Students who use the picnic tables will be expected to follow all school safety guidelines and take good care of the tables, though Wolpert doesn’t expect either issue to be a problem.
“We’re giving the kids more responsibility this year,” he said. “”We’re really asking them to do their part — to follow the rules, to stay those six feet apart. I’m sure they’re up to the task. We’ve got a great group of kids. They’ll have adult supervision, of course, but I don’t anticipate there being any problems.”