Southington BoE OK's Contracts For Massive SHS Athletic Facility Upgrade

SOUTHINGTON, CT — School officials have now awarded contracts for a major renovation of Southington High School athletic facilities.

The Southington Board of Education voted unanimously on March 12 to approve a $5.38 million project to replace tennis courts, expand parking, and install new bleachers at Southington High School, advancing a long-discussed plan aimed at addressing safety and congestion concerns.

The board, which met at the John Weichsel Municipal Center, approved awarding the project to FieldTurf USA/

The motion, made by board member Lisa Cammuso and seconded by Colleen Clark, passed 9-0.

The project includes $3,675,840 to replace seven tennis courts and construct a parking lot with approximately 143 spaces, and $1,708,305 to replace the home bleachers and press box.

District officials said the existing tennis courts have deteriorated due to cracked asphalt, leaving some areas unusable.

The parking expansion is intended to reduce congestion in nearby neighborhoods, where students have increasingly parked following changes in Connecticut law restricting carpooling.

School board member Joseph Baczewski said coordination with local police will be important as parking patterns change.

Clark noted that while students are driving legally, “they are no longer able to carpool like years ago,” contributing to the parking strain.

According to a memo from Southington Public Schools Accounting Manager Kyle R. Fickel, the district pursued the project through a cooperative purchasing agreement after receiving no responses to a request for proposals for design services in 2024.

FieldTurf was selected through the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) consortium, which pre-qualifies vendors through competitive bidding.

The plan calls for seven USTA regulation tennis courts, a new parking lot intended to reduce the number of students parking on surrounding streets, and bleachers with updated accessibility features.

The bleachers will include closed steps and railings, addressing safety and ADA concerns.

Southington Superintendent of Schools Steven Madancy previously presented the proposal to the town’s board of finance, which approved additional capital funding in February.

The Southington Town Council is expected to finalize that funding as part of its approval of the finance board's actions.

The project has been incorporated into the town’s multi-year capital improvement plan, with funding for tennis courts and bleachers scheduled across several budget cycles.

Next steps include finalizing contracts with FieldTurf and scheduling construction, which officials anticipate could begin in summer 2026, contingent on final town approvals.

For the minutes of the March 12 Southington Board of Education meeting, click on this link.

For a written narrative on the project, click on this link.