School Committee Targeting Berns Community Field Completion

FOXBOROUGH, MA — School officials are hoping that the last components to Sam Berns Community Field can be funded as part of the upcoming fiscal year budget.

Business Director Bill Yukna told the Foxborough School Committee Monday night that the school district's fiscal year 2018 capital improvement project requests include the stands, press box, and an eight-lane track. The cost is pegged at about $1.15 million.

Work on the field would require no adjustments to the scoreboard, memorial to Berns, or field because all the current work has been done in accordance with the field’s master plan, Yukna said.

“Our master plan has all the components laid out. We have everything that will fit," Yukna said. “I think we’ve done it in the right manner and that’s inside out.”

Unlike the field at Ahern Middle School, the plans for the stands at the high school field has them all on the driveway side, facing the tennis courts. Yukna said the finished product will look similar to the track and field at King Philip High School.

Like the field, the track will be open to the community and available to rent.

“There is a market to rent an eight-lane track. Our obligation is to complete the field so it’s more rentable so the town and recoup the costs and cover the cost of repairs,” Superintendent Debra Spinelli said.

A high school track would mean lower bus costs since the 160-person track team has to take buses to the middle school for home meets and practices, Spinelli said.

The school committee is expected to take a vote on whether or not to include the project as part of capital improvements at their next meeting.

Image: File photo