High School Track And Field Improvements Back On Agenda

2

Pitting and patching dominate the surface of the Amherst High School track. Adopting Option 2 would repair and reorient the track and install a new grass field in the center. Option 3 would do the same but with an artificial turf field. Photo: Art Keene

Improvements to the Amherst Regional High School athletic track and fields will be the subject of discussion at the next Regional School Committee meeting on January 18. According to a posted document, three scenarios are being reviewed for the renovation of the track and fields:

  1. Renovate the existing track, at an estimated cost of $1.2 million.
  2. Pivot the track to a north/south orientation with a natural turf interior field and expand the track to eight lanes on the sprinting strait, at an estimated cost of $3.6 million.
  3. Pivot the track to a north/south orientation with a synthetic turf interior field and expand to eight lanes on the sprinting strait, at an estimated cost of $4.65 million.

Two funding options are suggested and the apportioned costs to each town in the regional district (Amherst, Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury) is provided. One option is to fund the work entirely through the schools using the regional agreement method for capital cost assessment. Another is to fund a third of the cost using each town’s Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds, a third via the regional schools capital assessment, and a third from the Town of Amherst, since the track and fields are located in Amherst and serve as a community resource.

$157,500 in Amherst CPA funds was approved for the project in June 2020. A 2019 athletic facilities master plan by Weston & Sampson estimated the total cost of the first phase (which included relocating and reconstructing the track and the multi-use field within it) between $3.9 and $6.2 million. At a School Committee meeting in May 2019, a number of concerned parents and community members spoke about the dangerous condition of the track and schools’ sports fields, which had caused cancellations of soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse events.

Spread the love

2 thoughts on “High School Track And Field Improvements Back On Agenda

Leave a Reply

The Amherst Indy welcomes your comment on this article. Comments must be signed with your real, full name & contact information; and must be factual and civil. See the Indy comment policy for more information.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.