The Barrington School Department has hired a company to complete a proposal for reconstructing the Victory Field athletic complex at Barrington High School.

According to the posted agenda, the Barrington School Committee will discuss the proposal at its meeting on Thursday night, June 6. 

Earlier this year, members of the School Committee hired Gale Associates, Inc. to update an earlier feasibility report the company had completed on reconstructing the stadium field at the high school. 

“Based on our re-evaluation of the project, BPS has requested Gale to provide this proposal for design, permitting, bid, and construction phase services for the field project,” stated the proposal, which was submitted to the Barrington School Committee on May 29.

The work would include the reconstruction of the 400-meter track, installation of a synthetic turf multi-purpose field, new athletic lights, and modifications to the existing grandstands.

News of the potential rebuild of Victory Field follows a Town Council-initiated plan to build two synthetic turf fields at the middle school. It is not clear whether the high school field work would impact officials’ willingness to pursue the middle school field work. 

Victory Field proposal

Gale Associates submitted a 21-page proposal to Barrington School officials that details a six-phase process to reconstructing the stadium field at Barrington High School. 

The process starts with “Background evaluation, facility assessment and schematic design” and concludes with Phase Six Construction Phase Services. It also includes engineering and design work, permitting, final design documents, and bid/award services.

A quick check of the Gale Associates website offers other athletic campus renovation projects the company has completed. 

In Hull, Mass., the company provided design, permitting, bid and construction phase services for the renovation of the Hull High School athletic field into an all-weather synthetic turf field. The field abuts the ocean. 

Gale Associates also completed the renovation of the Greater Lowell Tech High School athletic campus. 

“The project includes grass to synthetic turf conversion for a multi-purpose field, running track, field events, new grandstand and press box, renovated restroom building, and new site circulation walkways,” stated the website. “We performed a site investigation and developed conceptual planning and schematic designs, completed site/civil design including conversion of natural grass field to synthetic multipurpose field, track and field event layout, grading, and drainage, provided permitting under the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act for work in a flood zone and in the riverfront resource area, and publicly bid the project in accordance with Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30B.”

Gale Associates has completed other similar projects in Norton, Mass. (Norton High School), Concord, Mass. (Concord-Carlisle Regional High School), Sudbury, Mass. (Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District), Hopkinton High School/Middle School (Hopkinton, Mass.), Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH), Brown University (Providence), and more.