Replacement cost triples for artificial turf in Stonington

Town no longer funding $1 million expense

Stonington — After 10 years of wear and tear, taxpayers will be footing the bill for far more than they anticipated to replace the artificial turf on the high school football field.

Six years into a 10-year agreement to fund the turf replacement, after learning estimates had more than tripled, the Board of Finance stopped putting aside money for the project, which is now part of a $750,000 school district capital improvement budget request.

The request for $250,000 a year over the next three years will fund the replacement of the turf, which was installed in 2013 after voters approved the approximately $1 million artificial turf football field as part of a $2.7 million renovation of the district's athletic fields.

At the time, the projected replacement was $300,000, which the town said it would fund by setting aside $30,000 a year for 10 years, but when estimates skyrocketed to ap

proximately a million dollars, the Board of Finance stopped funding the project.

According to James Sullivan, town finance director, the town set aside $30,000 a year through the Public Works Department beginning in fiscal year 2014-15. It was last funded in the 2019-20 budget, for a total of $180,000.

Current and former town officials contacted by The Day were unwilling to speak on the record about the reason the town stopped funding the project.

First Selectman Danielle Chesebrough did not respond to questions by late Friday, but Board of Finance Chairman Timothy O'Brien was willing to discuss his understanding of the situation on Friday.

Based on what he remembers and his notes, he said at some point the responsibility to request the funding shifted from the public works department to the school board, but he said the Board of Finance was not involved in that change.

“All we see is that the request came in from a different group. I can't talk to why it changed, I don't have any notes on that,” he said.

However, he said that around the same time, Peter Anderson, the former school facilities director, informed the Board of Finance that the projected cost for replacement was not correct, and he was concerned that members would continue to fund the project based on incorrect information.

O'Brien explained that based on 2013 estimates, the initial agreement would have fully funded the project in the 10-year span, but when projected costs more than tripled, the Board of Finance elected to pause funding until they could get an understanding of what the actual cost would be.

“Three hundred grand to a million is a big jump,” he said.

Superintendent Mary Anne Butler, who began her tenure in 2022, said on Friday that the field is inspected annually, and that, as of its July inspection, the condition did not pose a safety concern.

She noted that she was not involved in the initial plan to replace the field, or any agreements regarding funding, and could not provide answers to any of the outstanding questions.

But said the district and the finance board are working together closely and she felt confident the field would be funded by the time the replacement is necessary.

“Our new director of operations, Steve Carroll, is wellversed in maintaining turf to ensure the longevity of the field,” she said.

“That said, we are aware that it has surpassed the 10-year mark and are planning accordingly. Steve will be working with the experts in the spring to address any areas of the field where the fibers need maintenance to ensure continued use,” she added.

She noted prices have fluctuated widely in recent years, and the district would request proposals in the near future, adjusting future funding requests if necessary.