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Medfield schools plan fall renovation of middle/high-school baseball infield; district cites $319,900 contract and mixed funding sources
Summary
The Medfield School Committee heard a plan to replace the baseball infield used by the middle and high school with artificial turf this fall. District finance staff said a combination of reserve accounts, a $45,000 donation, and other funds cover a roughly $319,900 contract; work is scheduled to begin within weeks and to finish before November.
Michael, the district's director of finance, told the school committee the district will replace the worn baseball infield used by middle- and high-school teams and expects to complete the work before November.
Michael said the project became feasible after fundraising and an inventory of reserve accounts. "We have the funding to redo the field this fall," he said, citing a $45,000 check from Metro Youth Baseball and Softball and district reserve balances. He described a kickoff meeting with the vendor FieldTurf and said the district expects to shut down the field within a week of that meeting to begin work.
The project will keep the existing outfield as natural grass; only the infield will be replaced. Michael said the total contract cost is about $319,900 and that the town facility stabilization account, a use-of-school-property fund, a contracted-services reserve, and the donation together will cover the expense.
Committee members asked about impacts on middle-school recess, varsity practice and other user groups. Michael said the contractor and facilities staff will attempt to preserve adjacent outfield space for daytime use where possible; if that is not workable, the softball field can serve as a temporary recess or practice area.
The presentation explained procurement details: the district used a state-approved sourcing list for materials and solicited bids for labor/installation; that labor contract is the timeline driver. Michael said the warrant committee and town officials have been apprised of the funding plan.
Next steps: a kickoff meeting with FieldTurf is scheduled for next week; if the schedule holds, crews will begin removal and installation immediately with a target completion before November. The committee did not take a final vote to authorize additional borrowing or a supplemental appropriation at the meeting.
Ending: The committee accepted the update and the administration will report back with a schedule confirmation and any necessary permitting or inspection updates.
