Town Council, BOE to learn about proposal for upgraded facilities, turf field

The Avon High football and track and field complex.

AVON – The proposal to build upgrade the track and field facilities at Avon High and install a new synthetic turf field will be presented to the Avon Town Council and the Board of Education in a special joint meeting on Thursday, Sept. 22, beginning at 7 p.m., in the Community Room of the Avon Senior Center.

An eight-person subcommittee of the town Recreation and Park Committee will be presenting their recommendation to build a $3.43 million complex that includes the synthetic turf field, a refurbished eight-lane track and lights.

Inclusion of bleachers seating 1,000 fans, a press box, a storage building and sports-related equipment such as hurdles, nets, pads and soccer and lacrosse goals would raise the cost of the proposal to $4.04 million.

The proposal also includes an optional proposal to install synthetic turf on the field currently being used by the field hockey program for a cost of $1.13 million.

The public is invited to attend and comment on the proposal.

The subcommittee was appointed in April by the Town Council to come up with a proposal and worked throughout the summer. They completed their work on August 16. The project includes:

• An eight-lane track.
• A synthetic turf surface of sand and coated crumb rubber.
• Four poles (70-to-80 feet high) for lighting.
• Buffers of plants at property line along Sudbury Way and along West Avon Road.

The subcommittee also developed proposed usage requirements for the new facility. They proposed a limit of up to 15 games under the lights during the academic year with events and the public address system completed by 9:30 p.m. and lights off by 10 p.m. An additional four games under the lights could be added if teams qualify for the post season. There were be no night games on Sunday.

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

For other groups such as town organizations and religious and non-profit organizations, lighted events, without the use of the public address system, could be held up to 7:30 p.m. with lights off by 7:45 p.m. No night events on Sunday would be allowed.

Avon Town Manager Brandon Robertson said that he expects an item to be included on the agenda of the regularly-scheduled Town Council meeting on October 6 to discuss the results of Thursday’s meeting and the next steps in the project.

Earlier this year, the Town Council unanimously voted to appoint the project committee and unanimously voted to appropriate $30,000 for work to be done by BSG to revise and update the proposal for the new sports complex at the high school.

The subcommittee was led by chair Peter Ponziani. It included Donald Droppo, Todd Donovan, David Jadovich, Sara Roberson, Don Neagle and David Magrini. Roberson represented the Sudbury Way neighborhood while Neagle represented West Avon Road. Kelly Jackson was the committee alternate.

Ponziani, Droppo, Donovan and Jadovich were part of the original Recreation and Park subcommittee that helped develop proposals for sports complex at the M.H. Rhodes property on Thompson Brook Road and Avon High.

The town has been examining proposals for synthetic turf fields since 2014. 

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.

Recreation and Park recommendation, September 2016

Presentations on the Avon synthetic field project

Timeline

• September 2016: Subcommittee of Recreation and Parks makes recommendation to Town Council and Board of Education to upgrade facilities at Avon High including a synthetic turf field and lights.
• May 2016: Subcommittee of Recreation and Parks work with the town architect and Board of Education staff to begin work on their recommendation.
• April 2016: Town Council decides to appoint a committee to come up with a final proposal for upgrading facilities at Avon High. Votes to spend $30,000 to modify plans to address issues with the proposal at the high school.
• December 2015: Board of Education hears proposal to upgrade athletic facilities at Avon High.
• June 2015: Town Council hears $3.21 million proposal to upgrade athletic facilities at Avon High by rebuilding tack and installing two synthetic turf fields.
• April 2015: Subcommittee of the Recreation and Park committee recommend $3.21 million proposal to upgrade athletic facilities at Avon High by rebuilding tack and installing two synthetic turf fields.
• November 2014: Architect provides town with two proposals for athletic complex on 15.25 acre parcel on Thompson Brook Road at site of former M.H. Rhodes Company, adjacent to the bike trail. Town Council asks for estimates for similar complex at the high school.
• February 2014: Town Council unanimously votes to spend $40,000 for an architect to draw up plans to build a synthetic turf field and recreation complex on Thompson Brook Road
• November 2013: Seventy people attend Avon Student Athletic Park SteeringCommittee meeting