The track at Kickemuit Middle School will be off limits for at least two weeks beginning this Friday to allow for repairs and re-striping, according to Parks and Recreation Director Tara Thibaudeau.

Thibaudeau said the track would undergo a process where cracks are filled in, a new rubber surface will be put down, and striping will be repainted to give the track its first major refresh since it was installed in 2012.

The restoration work is being done through a combination of the Town’s capital budget and through around $65,000 in money from the town’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which was approved for allocation by the Town Council during their July meeting.

Thibaudeau said she was hopeful the work would be done in two week’s time, depending on how long the striping takes.

Damaged field still seeking resolution
Social media users may have seen multiple posts from Warren residents regarding damage that occurred to the KMS field a couple weeks back, apparently from use of a vehicle on the track following a heavy rain storm that resulted in chunks of the surface being torn up.

According to Thibaudeau, that damage was the result of activity by the East Bay Football Camp, which had rented use of the field and damaged it during one of their camp sessions after riding a Polaris vehicle on it.

Warren DPW Director Brian Wheeler said on Wednesday that the town was still trying to secure an estimate from a third party contractor about how much the field would cost to repair, and whether or not the football camp should be held responsible for paying that. “It’ll be up to solicitor’s office to decide how to approach that,” he said.

Thibaudeau said in a prior interview that there was a possibility of utilizing the field off the bike path opposite to the Pete Sepe Pavillion, but those plans hadn’t materialized as of the interview.

Wheeler said that he, Thibaudeau, and the various groups that utilize fields in Warren for sports and other activities were meeting to discuss a more long-term vision for playing fields in the town.

“We’re trying to talk about what we can do to potentially make all the fields better shape so we can rotate and set certain sports on certain fields,” he said. “It’s easier to maintain when you know what’s being played on it instead of having a million different sports on one field.”

As for the damage at the KMS field and whether it will be addressed in time for soccer activities starting up in the next couple of weeks, Wheeler said they were focused on ensuring the kids have a safe place to play.

“I’ve spoken to numerous parents and organizers for soccer, specifically, who were kind of concerned…Their concerns are just and I’ve talked to them about us doing everything we can to make sure they have safe playing fields,” he said. “We’re not going to just ignore it, that’s for sure.”