Committee votes to bring $3.2 million proposal for turf field to Town Council

Avon High’s football field and track and field complex.

AVON, April 28 – A subcommittee of the town’s Recreation and Park Committee voted unanimously Tuesday night to recommend a $3.21 million proposal to build a multi-purpose synthetic turf field at Avon High School be brought to the Town Council for consideration. 

The proposal designed by Glastonbury-based BSC Group includes a new synthetic turf field to replace the current grass football field, a new eight-lane track and field facility, bleachers that would seat 1,000 fans, a press box, a scoreboard and lights. The proposal also includes installing a second synthetic turf field where the current field hockey field is located. 

The main bleachers and press box would be in their current location with seating for 250 fans closer to the baseball field. In a second $3.4 million proposal, all of the seats would have been on the side of the field closer to the school. 

Committee members said they would bring this proposal to the Town Council at its next meeting on May 7. 

The proposal that the subcommittee will bring to the Town Council for consideration.

The town has been examining proposals for synthetic turf fields for the past year. Last fall, BSC Group provided the town with two proposals for an athletic complex that could be built on a 15.25-acre parcel on Thompson Brook Road at the site of the former M.H. Rhodes Company, adjacent to the bike trail. 

One proposal that included a multi-use synthetic turf field, a second natural grass field, bleachers that could seat up to 1,000 fans, a home and visitor locker room, public restrooms and a press box is estimated to cost a little over $5 million. There would be parking for 250 vehicles. An eight-lane track was included an earlier design but dropped because there wasn’t enough space. 

An alternative project that would a second synthetic turf field, a playscape and lighting to potential overflow parking at nearby Thompson Brook School would cost a little over $6 million. The Recreation and Park subcommittee considered 12 potential designs. 

Last fall, the Town Council asked the subcommittee to investigate the cost and options of installing a synthetic turf field at the high school. 

In February 2014, the Town Council unanimously voted to appropriate $40,000 for an architect to draw up plans. Plans for the proposed park picked up steam in the fall of 2013 when the Avon Student Athletic Park Steering Committee met with 70 people attending one informational session. 

Granby opened a new athletic complex at its high school in September 2013 with a new synthetic turf field surrounded by an eight-lane track. There is also an adjacent synthetic turf practice field. Canton constructed and opened a new synthetic turf facility with an eight-lane track in November 2013 as part of a reconfiguration of its parking lot at the high school. 

Farmington replaced its football field last summer with a new synthetic turf field. Simsbury upgraded its synthetic turf field and refurbished its track in August 2014. They installed its turf field in 2005.