FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How will the community benefit from this project?
Westborough High School serves as a hub to the community. The buildings and fields provide endless opportunities for our students, youth groups, and the community in general to gather and participate in a variety of activities. The athletic facilities on campus are a vital part of that culture. The repairs to the existing stadium will provide quality playing surfaces and recreation space for not only our teams, but also our youth groups, physical education classes, and the general public. The renovations to the bleachers and surrounding area will welcome guests and participants to our facility with safe, accessible, and quality seating and viewing areas.
The addition of the second field will provide much needed space for our growing community. There will be more opportunity for youth teams to access fields at the high school, more time to provide our current students interested in club sports, and an overall increase in opportunities to engage community members in healthy outdoor activities.
Why are we doing both fields at once? Did we consider “phasing” the project?
Yes. Phasing of the projects was considered, however it is more economical to complete the construction of both fields at one time. Mobilization and demobilization costs alone can make the project cost ineffective to separate. In addition, our programs have grown to a point where the second field is needed as soon as possible.
What is the construction timeline? How will the timeline affect use?
The potential plan would be begin the upper Hayes field in mid May of 2018 with the intent that the field would be ready for fall sports in the third week of August. The main stadium field would be used for graduation in early June 2018 and then taken offline for construction with an anticipated completion date in the first week or two of September. If we choose to allow the main stadium to be delivered back to us later in September there could be additional cost savings.
Our spring teams would be slightly affected during the end of their seasons but we would manage the end of their seasons by utilizing other local fields and playing the end of the seasons on the road.
The Community Ed and Recreation Department summer camps would need to be relocated for the summer of 2018.
Our fall teams would be most affected depending upon the completion of the projects. Practices and games would be played on the upper Hayes field until the stadium is completed. Football may be forced to play their first game or two on the road until the stadium is ready.
How long before the turfs need to be replaced again?
The typical life-span of a synthetic field is between 8-12 years. The actual timeframe for replacement will depend on the level of usage and how diligent we are with maintenance.
Are we anticipating spending $3.5 million again in another 10 years when the turfs need to be replaced?
No. The $3.5 million cost is for the entire project. The bleachers, press box, storage, and site work for Hayes field will last us a long time. The replacement cost for a turf field averages $400,000-$550,000.
Have we explored grass options?
The original “Turf’s Up” committee extensively researched the comparison between a turf field and a grass field. With the amount of use our fields provide, a grass field would not be sustainable. The artificial turf fields generally extends the hours of use, has lower maintenance costs, and virtually eliminates the need to reschedule games.
What is the recommended product for the carpet?
Carpet options for this type of project are typically Polyethylene materials. Customization of the carpet is limited to pile height, filament type, and stitching patterns which will be determined with our architect at a later date. Dual-fiber carpets (a mixture of mono-filament and slit-film) are recommended by the industry for multi-use fields. Both fields will be used for a variety of sports and activities so a dual-fiber carpet will suit our needs.
What is the recommended product for the infill?
At this time we are recommending an alternative infill to crumb rubber. The committee will continue to research the exact type/product of alternative infill, however we are very interested in a coated sand product. The coated sand is typically a polymer coated silica sand. The coated sand product is know to be durable, provides quality playability, does not need to be watered, has low splash factor (it doesn’t migrate and won’t need to be topped off), and it can be reused. The cons to the coated sand product are the cost (an additional $100,000 for the infill and $125,000 for required shock pad per field) and the unknowns of a relatively new product. Most alternative infills are still relatively new so we do not know how they will play in the long run.
What about crumb rubber?
Although there have been many concerns about crumb rubber, this report makes no definitive conclusions about whether crumb rubber use is harmful or safe. Crumb rubber is still an infill option being used in many new projects. The pros to crumb rubber are the cost and the reliability. Given the contradictory findings of the use of crumb rubber infill use on Recreational fields, we will work to find the safest products available based on a careful review of the available products and guidance from our Public Health and Safety officer(s) and/or Public Health professionals within the community prior to final selection and determination of the most appropriate material to be used.
If field lighting is included in the stadium, what can we expect?
The addition of field lighting to the stadium is not intended to add additional uses to the field, but to extend the duration of time when the fields can be used, particularly in the fall season. This provides several benefits. It supports working parents of our fall sports teams to have the opportunity to have some evening games, similar to those teams with playing seasons in winter and spring sports. Additionally, gaining an extended practice window until 7:30 for the multiple sports that need field time in the fall creates flexibility in practice schedules. As for contests, we are proposing the following maximum contests:
In the Fall:
Football- 4 night games- lights on until 10:30pm
Boys Soccer- 4 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
Girls Soccer- 4 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
Field Hockey- 4 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
Youth Sports- 2-3 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
In the Spring:
Boys Lacrosse- 4 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
Girls Lacrosse- 4 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
Track- 1 night meet- lights on until 9:30pm
Annually: There may be 2-3 annual town events that require the field to be lit. These numbers do not include the potential for MIAA playoff games. If our teams qualify for MIAA tournament play, additional games may be added to team schedules. These guidelines will be voted as a School Committee policy. The policy will only be changed if voted on by the WPS School Committee.
It is important to mention that the members of the Lights subcommittee had a range of opinions that are important to represent in this report. Data collected from the survey, commentary sections within it, and the three Community outreach coffee meetings best captured these feelings and opinions and we have shared all of them in the report survey section. Some members of the subcommittee voiced serious concerns with the use of night lighting at WHS due to its location in Westborough’s Historic downtown area.
Additionally, some citizens feel that adding lighting to the Turf field will increase field use time adding both to an increased intensity of use and increased light and noise spillover into the surrounding neighborhoods and community. A combination of increased night use and environmental changes (in terms of traffic, pedestrian activity, and noise) are anticipated based on the available data from other communities as well as our own experiences with the Week of Lights hosted bi-annually by WHS.
Lastly, several members of the subcommittee articulated serious concerns that adding (not renovating or repairing) new lighting towers to the fields falls outside the current Zoning Regulations and is in violation of the Town’s building code statues. Through conversations with the Town’s Planning Director, the M-1 district (in which the WHS is located) requires a ⅔’s majority vote of the Town Meeting to allow for the height of the light towers to be set along with additional approvals from town boards. This supports the committee’s recommendation to separate out the lights from the remainder of the project and that a Town Meeting vote of ⅔’s majority is the appropriate path to allow the discussion of lighting to be considered. Should the recommendation to advance the inclusion of lights be brought to Town Meeting, it’s important to the Town of Westborough that an open and respectful discussion continue to be fostered on this subject.
Will the sound system be improved?
Yes. A new sound system will be situated in the stadium to reduce sound spillover into the neighborhoods.
Will fundraising be used to fund the project?
Yes. The Rangers on Track committee has formed a fundraising subcommittee with the intent of raising at least $500,000 for the project. The funds will be raised through a combination of gifts/sponsorships, events, and grants. The committee is also exploring the opportunity for in kind donations of construction, labor, and materials.
Westborough High School serves as a hub to the community. The buildings and fields provide endless opportunities for our students, youth groups, and the community in general to gather and participate in a variety of activities. The athletic facilities on campus are a vital part of that culture. The repairs to the existing stadium will provide quality playing surfaces and recreation space for not only our teams, but also our youth groups, physical education classes, and the general public. The renovations to the bleachers and surrounding area will welcome guests and participants to our facility with safe, accessible, and quality seating and viewing areas.
The addition of the second field will provide much needed space for our growing community. There will be more opportunity for youth teams to access fields at the high school, more time to provide our current students interested in club sports, and an overall increase in opportunities to engage community members in healthy outdoor activities.
Why are we doing both fields at once? Did we consider “phasing” the project?
Yes. Phasing of the projects was considered, however it is more economical to complete the construction of both fields at one time. Mobilization and demobilization costs alone can make the project cost ineffective to separate. In addition, our programs have grown to a point where the second field is needed as soon as possible.
What is the construction timeline? How will the timeline affect use?
The potential plan would be begin the upper Hayes field in mid May of 2018 with the intent that the field would be ready for fall sports in the third week of August. The main stadium field would be used for graduation in early June 2018 and then taken offline for construction with an anticipated completion date in the first week or two of September. If we choose to allow the main stadium to be delivered back to us later in September there could be additional cost savings.
Our spring teams would be slightly affected during the end of their seasons but we would manage the end of their seasons by utilizing other local fields and playing the end of the seasons on the road.
The Community Ed and Recreation Department summer camps would need to be relocated for the summer of 2018.
Our fall teams would be most affected depending upon the completion of the projects. Practices and games would be played on the upper Hayes field until the stadium is completed. Football may be forced to play their first game or two on the road until the stadium is ready.
How long before the turfs need to be replaced again?
The typical life-span of a synthetic field is between 8-12 years. The actual timeframe for replacement will depend on the level of usage and how diligent we are with maintenance.
Are we anticipating spending $3.5 million again in another 10 years when the turfs need to be replaced?
No. The $3.5 million cost is for the entire project. The bleachers, press box, storage, and site work for Hayes field will last us a long time. The replacement cost for a turf field averages $400,000-$550,000.
Have we explored grass options?
The original “Turf’s Up” committee extensively researched the comparison between a turf field and a grass field. With the amount of use our fields provide, a grass field would not be sustainable. The artificial turf fields generally extends the hours of use, has lower maintenance costs, and virtually eliminates the need to reschedule games.
What is the recommended product for the carpet?
Carpet options for this type of project are typically Polyethylene materials. Customization of the carpet is limited to pile height, filament type, and stitching patterns which will be determined with our architect at a later date. Dual-fiber carpets (a mixture of mono-filament and slit-film) are recommended by the industry for multi-use fields. Both fields will be used for a variety of sports and activities so a dual-fiber carpet will suit our needs.
What is the recommended product for the infill?
At this time we are recommending an alternative infill to crumb rubber. The committee will continue to research the exact type/product of alternative infill, however we are very interested in a coated sand product. The coated sand is typically a polymer coated silica sand. The coated sand product is know to be durable, provides quality playability, does not need to be watered, has low splash factor (it doesn’t migrate and won’t need to be topped off), and it can be reused. The cons to the coated sand product are the cost (an additional $100,000 for the infill and $125,000 for required shock pad per field) and the unknowns of a relatively new product. Most alternative infills are still relatively new so we do not know how they will play in the long run.
What about crumb rubber?
Although there have been many concerns about crumb rubber, this report makes no definitive conclusions about whether crumb rubber use is harmful or safe. Crumb rubber is still an infill option being used in many new projects. The pros to crumb rubber are the cost and the reliability. Given the contradictory findings of the use of crumb rubber infill use on Recreational fields, we will work to find the safest products available based on a careful review of the available products and guidance from our Public Health and Safety officer(s) and/or Public Health professionals within the community prior to final selection and determination of the most appropriate material to be used.
If field lighting is included in the stadium, what can we expect?
The addition of field lighting to the stadium is not intended to add additional uses to the field, but to extend the duration of time when the fields can be used, particularly in the fall season. This provides several benefits. It supports working parents of our fall sports teams to have the opportunity to have some evening games, similar to those teams with playing seasons in winter and spring sports. Additionally, gaining an extended practice window until 7:30 for the multiple sports that need field time in the fall creates flexibility in practice schedules. As for contests, we are proposing the following maximum contests:
In the Fall:
Football- 4 night games- lights on until 10:30pm
Boys Soccer- 4 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
Girls Soccer- 4 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
Field Hockey- 4 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
Youth Sports- 2-3 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
In the Spring:
Boys Lacrosse- 4 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
Girls Lacrosse- 4 night games- lights on until 9:30pm
Track- 1 night meet- lights on until 9:30pm
Annually: There may be 2-3 annual town events that require the field to be lit. These numbers do not include the potential for MIAA playoff games. If our teams qualify for MIAA tournament play, additional games may be added to team schedules. These guidelines will be voted as a School Committee policy. The policy will only be changed if voted on by the WPS School Committee.
It is important to mention that the members of the Lights subcommittee had a range of opinions that are important to represent in this report. Data collected from the survey, commentary sections within it, and the three Community outreach coffee meetings best captured these feelings and opinions and we have shared all of them in the report survey section. Some members of the subcommittee voiced serious concerns with the use of night lighting at WHS due to its location in Westborough’s Historic downtown area.
Additionally, some citizens feel that adding lighting to the Turf field will increase field use time adding both to an increased intensity of use and increased light and noise spillover into the surrounding neighborhoods and community. A combination of increased night use and environmental changes (in terms of traffic, pedestrian activity, and noise) are anticipated based on the available data from other communities as well as our own experiences with the Week of Lights hosted bi-annually by WHS.
Lastly, several members of the subcommittee articulated serious concerns that adding (not renovating or repairing) new lighting towers to the fields falls outside the current Zoning Regulations and is in violation of the Town’s building code statues. Through conversations with the Town’s Planning Director, the M-1 district (in which the WHS is located) requires a ⅔’s majority vote of the Town Meeting to allow for the height of the light towers to be set along with additional approvals from town boards. This supports the committee’s recommendation to separate out the lights from the remainder of the project and that a Town Meeting vote of ⅔’s majority is the appropriate path to allow the discussion of lighting to be considered. Should the recommendation to advance the inclusion of lights be brought to Town Meeting, it’s important to the Town of Westborough that an open and respectful discussion continue to be fostered on this subject.
Will the sound system be improved?
Yes. A new sound system will be situated in the stadium to reduce sound spillover into the neighborhoods.
Will fundraising be used to fund the project?
Yes. The Rangers on Track committee has formed a fundraising subcommittee with the intent of raising at least $500,000 for the project. The funds will be raised through a combination of gifts/sponsorships, events, and grants. The committee is also exploring the opportunity for in kind donations of construction, labor, and materials.