School district eyes 2028 Memorial Field turf replacement

The regional school district is looking to make more changes to Memorial Field than adding a bathroom building.

​In an early capital project presentation at the November 5 School Committee meeting, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Robert Conry said Memorial Field’s artificial turf is at the end of its lifespan and will soon need to be replaced.

The field has not been updated since the high school was built in 2015. “There’s levels of deterioration, not as bad as Doug White was, but we feel it’s prudent to factor in a design in FY ’27 and to plan for the installation in ’28,” he said. 

The project is estimated to cost $80,000 for design and $900,000 for installation based on the Doug White Fields replacement. Unlike the proposed amenities building project, the district expects to pay for it through the regular budget, rather than outside funding.

Conry explained that to fund the field and other capital projects, the district will allocate less to the Other Post-Employment Benefits Trust Fund. OPEB is a trust that pre-funds retirement benefits. 

The move will not disrupt current retirement benefits provided by the district, Conry said. 

Asked by committee member Michael Williams if the district has ever cut into OPEB funding before, Conry said they did so last year, “for the first time,” to help pay student transportation costs. 

“I think [the Finance Committee will] be very intrigued to hear we’re trying to pay for it ourselves,” schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter said at the committee meeting.

Other capital improvements school leaders project for the next five years include repainting classrooms, upgrading HVAC and lighting control systems, and vehicle replacements.