Capital projects team reports progress, proposes underground drainage to fix junior varsity baseball field pooling

Capital-projects representatives for the Eastport South Manor School District told the Board of Education on June 11 that most phase 2 school renovations are substantially complete and that a planned underground drainage system will be used to address persistent puddling on the junior varsity baseball field.

At the meeting the project team said commissioning and SCADA installation for the high‑school solar array are finished and a final witness test was scheduled for June 12. The presenters said athletic‑field restorations continue and that Blazer has submitted closeout documents for recent turf and seating work.

The presenters showed an updated budget for the multi‑phase capital program. They said phase 1 has not changed since the prior update and that phase 2 currently shows a positive fund balance in the mid‑millions. The team cautioned that the phase‑2 total could change when the district bids major high‑school alterations. They also noted that districtwide security booths have their own building project numbers and closeout paperwork is nearly complete.

On the junior varsity baseball field, the project manager said the team met with the turf vendor and the surveyor and identified localized low spots in the sod and clay. The team proposed adding trench drains below the sod, connected to the site’s existing pools, to give water an underground path off the field. “No. It's just an 8 inch perforated pipe that's gonna be connected to your existing pools that are out there,” the project representative said. The representative said the work is designed so it will not create surface tripping hazards and that the vendor is developing a timeline; the representative said there is not an anticipated cost to the district for that installation.

Board members asked for technical details and depths for the perforated pipe system. The project representative said the pipes will sit a couple of inches below the subbase and feed into existing site drainage, but said the exact installation depth and full technical specification were still to be provided by the vendor.

Project slides shown to the board also described work at each elementary school: locker installations and masonry pointing at Eastport Elementary; remaining bathroom epoxy and condenser installations at Dayton; fixture and new window installation at South Street; atrium finishes and ductwork balancing at Tuttle Avenue; and electrical and drainage work tied to the high‑school fitness addition. The presenters said some window deliveries remain delayed and are currently expected in August–September.

The project team said remaining punch‑list work on the athletic fields and final closeouts are expected over the summer. They asked the board to expect further schedule and cost updates once the high‑school alteration bids are received.