Cheshire planning committee hears consultant: track and turf rebuild could cost about $2 million

Kevin Fuseler, a senior principal landscape architect with SLR, told the Cheshire School District planning committee that the district’s running track and synthetic turf field require full‑depth reconstruction after decades of heavy use. Fuseler said the project would include ripping out the existing track and base, replacing the turf and infill, upgrading event areas (long jump, pole vault), adding a conforming discus circle and cage, and installing additional safety netting and perimeter fencing.

SLR shared a preliminary cost extraction from the district’s 2024 master plan that put the base scope — site prep, turf, track reconstruction, fencing and associated work — at roughly $1.725 million. With a design‑phase contingency the consultant said the realistic planning figure approaches $2 million until the district has final drawings and refined contractor pricing. “These numbers will all change and be refined as we develop the drawings,” Fuseler said during the presentation.

Safety and lifecycle concerns were central to the discussion. Fuseler said the track surface is nearing the end of its useful life and the field is about 15 years old; both conditions can increase injury risk. The consultant reviewed GMAX testing (a standard measure of field hardness) and noted the district has been testing annually. He described the industry shift toward lower GMAX targets and additional tests such as rotational resistance; he also recommended considering a shock pad beneath the turf to reduce impact forces.

The committee probed the cost of adding a shock pad. The transcript records an inconsistent exchange in which the consultant referenced a per‑square‑foot figure and then an overall total; staff and consultants agreed the pad would add a material but currently uncertain amount to the project and that the exact figure will be resolved during the next design phase. The district’s existing maintenance contract and field testing practices were discussed: staff reported an annual turf maintenance/testing contract of approximately $4,000 and described interim infill work done to address harder spots this season.

Committee members also asked about alternatives. Fuseler said reverting to natural grass would require substantial reconstruction of the base, irrigation and soil, and quoted a rough consultant estimate that converting back to grass could cost on the order of $3 million and deliver far less usable play time. He emphasized tradeoffs: turf supports heavy, year‑round use but requires ongoing maintenance; properly designed natural grass is preferred by some but cannot sustain the same hours of community and athletic use without multiple fields.

Next steps: SLR is authorized to complete preliminary design and provide an updated opinion of probable construction costs; the committee directed staff to share documents and said it expects to work toward a capital plan recommendation in the coming weeks. The district will refine permit questions (possible upland review/inland wetlands triggers) and produce detailed cost breakdowns before deciding whether to include the project in a referendum or bond request.