Doug White Fields facelift on track for late-summer completion
After a contentious start, officials are making progress on turf replacement, which includes enhanced safety measures.
Seth van der Swaagh handed a $1.49 million check to town staff and conceded it was the largest he’s ever written.
“I feel like we should clap,” Town Manager Kerry Lafleur said at a May 5 Select Board meeting.
After a contentious start, officials are making progress on a turf replacement at Doug White Fields, and the revamped fields — including enhanced safety measures — are likely to be ready for the fall sports season.
The non-profit Friends of Acton-Carlisle Playing Fields (FCCPF) is footing the bill.
“It’s a win-win for everybody involved,” Select Board member Wendy Rovelli said moments before the board formally accepted the FCCPF gift.
‘Everything’s looking good’
The Doug White Fields are two turf surfaces at Acton-Carlisle High School. A 2007 agreement preserves the fields as school property but tasks the town with maintaining and scheduling them. The town inked a separate deal with FCCPF in 2008 in which the group promised to fund maintenance and replacement.
Stakeholders agreed it was time for a facelift but were split on whether to lay more artificial turf or go with grass.
The debate reached its apex late last year as grass advocates flagged environmental concerns around artificial turf. Groups backing turf — including the FCCPF — said their option was safer, more playable, and more durable.
The town settled on artificial turf and opened contract proposals from seven vendors on May 5. Officials touted two bids that fell within their budget.
“Everything’s looking good,” chief financial officer Anthony Ansaldi told the Select Board.
Safety perks
In a May 16 phone call, Ansaldi said the town was expecting to award the contract to the lowest bidder.
Initial plans in December called for construction next summer. Officials accelerated the timeline and now plan to begin work next month.
Van der Swaagh, the FCCPF president, said he’s excited about a new shock pad meant to soften the field and prevent injuries.
In an interview with The Acton Bridge, van der Swaagh said the roughly $300,000 pad was an optional part of the project that officials hoped to include.
Acton-Carlisle Youth Lacrosse leaders Abby Jenney and Caroline Myler celebrated after low bids cleared the way for the enhancements.
“Who wouldn’t want more safety?” Myler said.
Jenney said visiting teams are impressed by Acton’s turf fields. But when local parents visit newer facilities and notice leaps in turf technology, they still see room for improvement at home, she said.
Jenney said families recognized that the Doug White Fields were aging. The possibility of losing access due to the fields’ condition loomed large. She praised the FCCPF for helping accelerate the replacement.
Revisiting agreements
Van der Swaagh said the process “couldn’t have gone much better.”
But as they opened the checkbook, van der Swaagh and FCCPF treasurer Erik Jarnryd urged the town to revisit the agreement that defines their group’s relationship with Acton.
The document and the similar agreement between the town and CCHS caused confusion as the parties wondered who would settle the grass versus turf debate. On May 5, Rovelli said Acton should re-examine both deals.
Lafleur said officials could review the commitments once the current project has been completed. In the meantime, the FCCPF is continuing to push to secure seed funding for the next field replacement.
Most of the money for this year’s project came via user fees from leagues that play at Doug White, but leftover donations from the first construction project were still crucial.
Van der Swaagh said the FCCPF started raising money in the weeks before May 5. Fundraising will continue over the coming months at givebutter.com/679YS1 toward a $200,000 goal.
“We know it’s a resource for this community that’s valued, and we’re really happy to have been a small part of making sure that it continues to be safe and available to all,” Jenney said.
