8/8/2019 Artificial turf on tap this spring for Watertown's Victory Field

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/artificial-turf-on-tap-this-spring-for-watertowns-victory-field 1/2

Artificial turf on tap this spring for Watertown's Victory Field

By Laura Paine Wicked Local WatertownPosted Jan 07, 2011 @ 12:53 PM

Last update Jan 07, 2011 @ 02:34 PM

WATERTOWN — After years of discussion, planning and postponement, 2011 mightfinally be the year that Victory Field gets its makeover.

Recreation Director Peter Centola said the flood-prone field is not in very good conditionand installing artificial turf, which has been installed in towns such as Belmont, Waltham andNewton, will save money on maintenance and allow for multiple uses of the field.

“We [currently] have to limit the amount of time our constituents are on it,” Centola said.“Right now it is just a baseball and football field. We want to make it multi-use and morefunctional for more people for a bigger amount of time.”

The project is budgeted at a tentative $3.14 million dollars. The project would include160,000 square feet of artificial turf; new field lighting, spectator seating, site fencing,netting system and support facility improvements; improved drainage; and new dugouts, bull

pens and batting cages—all of which would be done in three phases.On Monday, during a joint meeting of the budget and finance and human services

committees, members gave the project a stamp of approval, hoping that the full Town Councilwill do the same.

Town Councilor Vincent Piccirilli said the artificial turf field is environmental friendly andsafe for the people who would be using it.

“What’s currently at Victory Field is not a typical environmentally friendly green grassfield,” he said. “We put lots of chemicals on it and it is a petroleum based playing surface.That’s just the nature of playing fields. They require a lot of chemicals to keep the grassgrowing.”

Centola said now is the perfect time to begin the project because contractors are desperatefor work.

“I think the cost will be the lowest now,” he said. “We are hoping it goes out to bid and theproject will be less than the estimated price. We need to make sure people understand the

town will have some financial responsibility up front, but we are going to have a formalfundraising plan.”

But the town’s financial responsibility is what Town Councilor Tony Palomba said is theconcern of his constituents.

“Is it a good use [of money] at this particular time,” Palomba said. “We have yet to hearfrom the governor about possible local aid cuts. We’ve been told as a council the outsidefigure may be as much as a 15 percent cut in local aid. I would wait on the decision until wefind out what the local aid cut is going to be and see what the fundraising plan is and if it isviable.”

Piccirilli said that the cuts in local aide don’t necessarily affect whether or not the field isaffordable, because the turf would be funded by the town’s capital improvement budget, and$2 million in bonds will be taken out to subsidize a little more than half of the renovations.

“It’s more of a financing thing,” Piccirilli said. “From a finance standpoint, we can affordit without having an override. We’ve seen there have been other facilities in town that more

than a $1 million has been raised and we feel confident that the community will support thisand we will be able to raise that kind of funds for this too. [That’s] the thing people weremost uncomfortable with.”

The project design is scheduled to be complete in February, which will also allow it to goout for bid the same month.

If everything goes as planned, with a convincing formal fundraising plan, constructioncould begin as early as late spring and finished by September—just in time for Watertown’sfall sports teams to begin their season.

Watertown Public Schools Athletic Director Michael Lahiff said it would give teams anedge now that most championship games are played on artificial turf. The renovated field

8/8/2019 Artificial turf on tap this spring for Watertown's Victory Field

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/artificial-turf-on-tap-this-spring-for-watertowns-victory-field 2/2

would be as much an asset to the community as the new Watertown Free Public Library, hesaid.

“I think the biggest thing is that Watertown is a great community and what we want to do istry to provide many different assets to the community,” Lahiff said. “I think recreationalfacilities are a real asset. People looking to move into the community often look ateducational and recreational facilities because they are going to be moving in with youngfamilies. As a total community we need to look a more things that are benefits to all people.”

Centola agreed.“All the pro-teams and probably 80 percent of New England Colleges and Universities have

some sort of artificial surface,” he said. “Why not Watertown? Our community deserves it.It’s an esteem thing. We deserve a place we can be proud of, walk in and say ‘wow’.”

  Laura Paine can be reached at lpaine@cnc.com.Copyright 2011 Watertown TAB & Press. Some rights reserved