Future of Fontana Field Lies in the Town Council's Hands

When members of the Town Council hear a presentation from the Turf Committee later this month, they will receive a high recommendation that the town consider paying for turf. A few questions still remain, however.

Will the Town Council move forward in replacing the natural grass at with synthetic turf and how will the town pay for it?

Members of the unanimously approved the recommendation and presentation Monday evening, the last meeting to be held by the Turf Committee before they appear before the council on Feb. 27.

The recommendation places synthetic turf in high regard, indicating that over the next ten years, versus repairing the drainage and cosmetic issues on Fontana Field. The initial costs for turf are more expensive – fixing the field without repairing drainage would cost $400,000 to $450,000 while switching to turf and repairing the drainage system would cost $900,000 according to several leading turf suppliers – but maintenance and long-term costs are not comparable, committee members said.

Mike DeFeo, chairman of the committee, said that while there are some maintenance costs of $2,00 per year and $4,000 for a deep cleaning every four years associated with turf, the benefits include a considerable decrease over an estimated $53,000 for maintenance now and would also increase the field’s use exponentially.

After factoring all costs over a 10-year period, the town would see costs of approximately $169.32 per use for natural grass replacement and $23.60 per use for synthetic turf. More details regarding the costs and benefits of turf can be seen in the presentation included above or by visiting www.southingtonsports.com, a site produced by Southington High School Athletic Director Eric Swallow.

But whether the town moves to turf or not is not a decision for the committee to make.

“I have no idea what the next step will be,” DeFeo said Monday night. “We were tasked with finding all the facts. We will present it to the council and they will decide where it goes from there.”

Although the committee is presenting approximate costs to the council, these could change slightly. The proposed installation and costs were determined after presentations in December from representatives of industry-leading companies including ProGrass, Shaw Sportexe and FieldTurf.

The town is required to go out to bid on such a project, however, committee member and councilman Al Natelli Jr. said. The exact costs could not be determined before the bids come in.

Councilman John Barry, also a member of the Turf Committee, said it’s important that the town “do this right” and if turf is to be installed, he hopes it will be done through a full government process.

“I do hope that when a decision is made at the council level, it will be handled properly. I do fear it could be presented and that’d be it,” said Barry, a Democrat. “If they want to move quickly, it’s not a long process to do it right. The proposal could be presented before the Board of Finance, an 8-24 (referral to make sure it conforms to town regulations) to the Planning and Zoning Commission and be approved by the council in time for them to begin work over the summer.”

Natelli, a Republican, said Monday that he is in agreement with Barry and would also like to see discussions on how to pay for it. The town has a limited number of options, which include a one-time appropriation, financing through donations from organizations in the community or working the project into the budget.

If the project receives the go ahead, but costs are determined to exceed $1 million, the project would also have to go to referendum first according to town charter bylaws.

“We still need to determine how to pay for this if we are to move forward,” Natelli said.