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Athletic director flags equipment, track safety and a uniform‑replacement plan
Summary
New athletic director Robert McNulty asked the committee to consider recurring athletics costs, replace damaged field-hockey goals, create outdoor equipment storage and review the track condition as a near‑term capital priority; members discussed using this year’s savings to smooth uniform replacement.
Robert McNulty, the district’s new middle‑school and high‑school athletic director, presented the athletics budget and outlined recurring and capital needs.
McNulty said the department’s fixed annual costs include officials’ fees, medical supplies, uniform cleaning and equipment replacement; many items were underspent this year because of limited seasons during COVID‑19, but he said costs will rise if full seasons resume. He reported that high winds damaged field‑hockey goals — one was “completely unusable” — and asked the committee to consider a dedicated outdoor storage solution so equipment is not left exposed to the elements.
On facility condition, McNulty warned the committee about the track surface, saying continued wear will increase future costs and, if not addressed within two to three years, could present safety hazards for athletes and community users. He said track repairs should be considered through the district’s capital planning process and not as an immediate athletics operating purchase.
The athletic director also reviewed uniform replacement and provided a vendor quote for multiple programs: replacing several team sets would be “slightly under $6,000” (roughly $1,500 per program for home and away sets of about 30 uniforms). Committee members discussed whether to use unspent funds from this year — for example savings from not needing police detail — to purchase some uniforms now and smooth future replacement years.
McNulty gave participation counts for current teams (examples cited: 21 field hockey players, 18 soccer, 36 boys basketball, 22 girls basketball, low cross‑country numbers) and said he is exploring co‑op arrangements with neighboring schools for sports with low enrollment, citing an informal co‑op with Northbridge this year that worked well.
Committee members sought a formal uniform‑cycle schedule and asked for a breakdown of what has been purchased versus what remains; McNulty and Matt agreed to follow up and share the revised rotation and vendor quotes with the committee. No committee action to authorize purchases occurred during the workshop.
