Region 4 advisory committee: fields renovation about 85% spent, $105,895 contingency remains as work continues

The Region 4 Fields Renovation Advisory Committee reported July 23 that the athletic fields renovation project has expended $8,424,683 of a $9,966,000 budget, or roughly 85 percent, and that $105,895 remains in contingency, according to a financial update presented by Robert Grissom.

The update matters because committee members and contractors said completing work before the start of school and the fall sports season in late August is a priority. "The summer work on tennis courts, the wall seating, and the JWMS fields has so far occurred without any significant surprises or added costs," the financial summary states, and the committee stressed the need to have projects substantially completed before school begins.

Grissom’s budget report showed total construction costs of $9,464,278 within the larger $9,966,000 grand project total. Line items listed in the report indicate A&E and owner oversight costs are effectively complete; several Phase 1 construction elements (stadium, VRHS grass and baseball infields) show high percent-complete figures, while Phase 2 items vary in progress: JWMS grass improvements are at about 52.3 percent complete, the tennis courts at about 64.0 percent, stadium seating at about 90.0 percent and a lighting retrofit is listed at 0.0 percent complete pending work.

FieldTurf representative Chris Hulk gave a project update describing site-specific work and remaining tasks. At Valley Regional High School the track and field work, seating wall and ADA access are complete, hydroseeding and several field finishes are done, and work on Areas D and E is scheduled for completion this summer. JWMS items reported as in progress include rebuilt baseball and softball infields, initial seedings (with final seeding planned for late summer), post-tension tennis court work running through August, an irrigation system already installed with staff training to follow, and other punch-list items to be completed before closeout.

Hulk also said FieldTurf will complete professional drone footage of the site (day and night) in late August and deliver as-builts and a closeout package to the schools at project completion; the schools will track the punch list. The report noted ancillary district tasks such as reviewing storage options, upgrading camera systems, adding locks to gates and painting softball dugouts. Environmental and property items flagged include a wetland soil scientist review for the cross-country trail and the district working with legal counsel on a land easement.

There were no public comments recorded at the meeting. The committee set its next meeting for Sept. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the John Winthrop Middle School Library. The meeting was called to order by Committee Chair Miriam Morrissey and adjourned at 5:45 p.m.