From left, Prince Thomas of Savoy members Brian Farrell, Jim Healey, Dave Dalbon, Jason Indomenico, John LaMonica and Susan Rietano Davey, president of ACORN with a donation from Prince Thomas of Savoy to Lights on Avon.
AVON – For several weeks, the games have been played on the new synthetic field turf at Avon High – football, field hockey, boys soccer and girls soccer.
While it was safe to play, the facility wasn’t quite complete. However, work on the $2.99 million project to install a new eight-lane track and field facility and a new turf field is nearing its completion.
A ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony will be held this Saturday at 12:30 p.m., before the football team hosts Plainville in their final regular season contest of the year.
All of the work at the facility isn’t complete. A group in Avon is raising money to install permanent lights around the new track and turf field.
Avon Community Recreational Neighborhood, or ACORN, as they are more commonly known in town is working to raise $400,000 for state-of-the-art, energy-saving LED lights. Lights on Avon is the name of the campaign.
About $170,000 has been raised so far. The town of Avon contributed $70,000 to install concrete light stanchions and the Avon Board of Education has pledged $30,000.
“Most of the donations so far have been from families and individuals,” said Susan Rietano Davey, president of ACORN. “The average gift is $316. We are doing grassroots fundraising like calling on people personally and attending community events and open houses to spread the word.”
The Prince Thomas of Savoy (PTS) Italian-American Club in Avon donated $1,000 recently to the Lights on Avon project. Prince Thomas of Savoy recently celebrated their 100th anniversary and the club has a long history of supporting local charitable organizations and causes in town.
More information on Lights on Avon is available at the project website, including a buy-a-brick fundraising initiative.
ACORN has a long history of raising money for projects that benefit Avon residents. They recently raised money to install lights at the new tennis courts at Avon Middle School in 2014 and have helped fund playgrounds at Thompson Brook School (2004) and Roaring Brook School (1987).
ACORN also helped fund the installation of the track and field facility in 2000 that replaced the original cinder track at Avon High at the site of the synthetic turf field.
Town residents voted last December to authorize the project to build the new track and field facility and the synthetic turf field. Work began in April and most work was done by September to allow Avon High varsity contests on the field.
