Attachments

20240328-121527-Responses to School Committee Questions on Town Council BMS Synthetic Turf Proposal (3-25-2024).pdf

The Barrington School Committee is expected to discuss and possibly vote tonight on whether to advance a proposal to install a synthetic turf field at Barrington Middle School. 

The March 28 meeting agenda for the School Committee includes two items related to local athletic fields: The first is a presentation on the fields during the Superintendent Report, and then the School Committee will have an opportunity to discuss and act on a “Town Proposal for Synthetic Turf Field/s.” 

Barrington School Committee members hosted Council Vice President Rob Humm at their March 14 meeting, where he shared a proposal to build a synthetic turf field at the middle school property. 

The Council is asking for School Committee permission to include the proposal on the November election ballot as a referendum question.

The Council also approved a motion to pitch a $5 million municipal bond to voters — if approved, most of the bond would be used to improve the athletic fields in Barrington. 

At the March 14 School Committee meeting, members voiced some concerns about the proposal. 

TJ Peck asked if there was an “appetite” for earmarking a portion of the $5 million bond to address other school needs, including the fields at the high school. 

Patrick McCrann said his assumption was that if synthetic turf fields are built at the middle school then those fields would end up being used predominantly by BHS student-athletes, which would limit youth sports from accessing the new fields, and also leave some of the high school fields sitting unused. McCrann said he wanted to know how the fields would be shared.

Humm responded to the Committee’s question with a lengthy document. 

Tonight’s School Committee meeting will be held in the Barrington Middle School Presentation Room at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.