High School Stadium Repairs to be Discussed Thursday

WESTBORUGH, MA - A community forum will give Westborough residents a chance learn more about the long-discussed Westborough High School Stadium Repair Project. Residents are also encouraged to ask questions and share their ideas for the repairs. 

Westborough High School’s turf, bleachers and call box are starting to deteriorate. The area is safe to play on for the time being but repairs must be made within the next few years, director of athletics Johanna DiCarlo wrote in a statement in December.

The turf and surrounding plaza at WHS were completed in the early 2000s and a year later the track was resurfaced. The life expectancy of the turf and track were estimated at between eight and 10 years, they are now on about year 12.

The outdated bleachers in the stadium have no handicap accessibility and do not meet building codes, which now require bleachers to be closed in. The press box is also becoming unsafe and the filming deck was condemned in the fall.

The project to repair this area is still in the preliminary planning stages which is why feedback from the community is important during this time.

By next year, fundraising should be in full swing and the project will likely be put out to bid. Fundraising will continue through 2017 and 2018 and the timeline for construction will depend on the final project design.

The facilitator of the forum will be Chris Huntress of Huntress Associates, an athletic facility design and land planning firm located in Andover.

The forum will be held on Thursday, March 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the high school library.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons