AVON, June 4 – The Avon Town Council listened to a $3.21 million proposal, endorsed by a subcommittee of the Recreation and Park Committee, to install two synthetic turf fields at the high school and rebuild the track.
The Council took no action on the proposal but directed Town Manager Brandon Robertson to schedule meetings with the Board of Education and the Planning and Zoning Commission to bring this proposal to them and get their feedback.
The proposal 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.
“Tonight is about seeing and talking about what is possible,” said Mark Zacchio, chair of the Town Council.
The proposal was designed by Glastonbury-based BSC Group, who made the presentation for the Town Council Thursday night. Several town residents, most of whom live near the high school, provided comments on the proposal.
They were concerned about an increase in events at the high school that could bring an increase of traffic, future costs to maintain the fields and the need for additional storage of equipment on the Avon High property. There were concerns voiced about light poles and the possible need to increase of portable bathrooms on site if the school building wasn’t open on the weekend or evenings.
The Council asked BSC to present this proposal to the Board of Education. “We need to the Board of Education to weigh in on this. We will have to be partners with them,” Zacchio said.
The proposal will also be brought before the Planning and Zoning Commission to ensure that the plan is consistent with the planned conservation and development plan in town.
Even if approval is given by all three boards, the proposal will ultimately need to be passed by town voters in a referendum, Robertson said. The town charter mandates a referendum if a project is over $2.5 million.
The town has been examining proposals for synthetic turf fields for nearly two years.
In November 2014, 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.
After receiving the proposals about the Thompson Road project, 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.
Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 30 years.


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