Another $800,000 Requested for Track and Field Project

Reprot on the Meeting of the Community Preservation Act Committee, July 29, 2024

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded. It can be viewed here.

Present
Sam MacLeod (Chair), Michelle Labbe, Doug Marshall, Dave Williams, Bob Saul, Robin Fordham, and Matt Cain.

Staff: Holly Drake (Comptroller), Doug Slaughter (School Finance Director), and Dave Ziomek (Assistant Town Manager)

School Finance Director Doug Slaughter stated that the regional schools need about $1 million more to construct the new track and field at the high school and requested that the Amherst Community Preservation Act (CPA) committee recommend borrowing another $800,000 in CPA funds to help close the funding gap. 

The project includes an eight-lane track reoriented to a north-south direction with a newly constructed grass interior playing field with drainage and irrigation, an additional playing field, new lights, sidewalks, and fencing. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $4.4 million. The regional school district towns are contributing $1.5 million. The town of Amherst is adding $900,000 from free cash and has previously pledged $957,000 in CPA funds. The other three towns in the region initially balked at contributing to the project because the original plan included an artificial turf infield, which has been eliminated from the current plan.

The Hurricane Boosters have raised $104,000 for the project, but according to Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek, the group lost many pledges for support when the artificial turf was eliminated. The boosters have stopped fundraising for now, but Ziomek said they may resume when the project has started and extra money is needed to complete a specific aspect, such as lighting or bleachers.

In public comment, Maria Kopicki noted that the Regional School Committee has been asking Slaughter to approach the CPA committees of Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury to contribute to the project for many months, but he has yet to submit applications to them. Slaughter said that it is likely that all three towns will have special fall town meetings, and he hopes that the track project will be on the agendas, but the funding request will be outside the usual budget cycle. He proposed that the other towns contribute $411,000 to the project ($99K from Pelham, $176K from Leverett, and $136K from Shutesbury).

Although he is asking Amherst to devote another $800,000 to the project, Slaughter hopes it will not all be needed. He thinks the $500,000 in contingency funds will be less when the project is closer to going out to bid, and several aspects of the project, such as lighting, fencing, and sidewalks, can be removed and added later when money is available. However, the regional schools need to have the money allocated when the request for bids occurs in December or January. He reported that Amherst Town Council President Lynn Griesemer said that the Town Council will take up the CPA allocation request in mid-fall, before the bids go out.

CPA committee member Bob Saul asked what would be the incentive to the other three towns to contribute to the project if Amherst is providing all the needed funds. Ziomek replied that the new track and fields would provide important resources for their students, and most of the objections from the towns centered around the inclusion of artificial turf. 

Michelle Labbe suggested reducing the cost by removing the alternate elements from the design, but Ziomek said he was not comfortable with “cherry picking” certain aspects to be removed. Doug Marshall agreed, pointing out that no one knows what the actual cost of the project will be, as evidenced by the bid for the Jones Library expansion coming in $7 million over the estimate. He recommended deciding what the committee will pay for the base project and including possible “bid alternates” if the bids come in too high. MacLeod reminded the committee that the Finance Committee and Town Council cannot increase the amount recommended by the CPA Committee, but can decrease it, so the CPA Committee recommendation is the maximum that can be allotted. 

Comptroller Clarifies Outstanding CPA Debt Payments
Comptroller Holly Drake noted that the last $80,000 payment has been made on the money borrowed for the purchase of Rolling Green affordable apartments, and only several small payments remain on the Kendrick Park playground borrowing. She added that the $90,000 per year slated for upgrading the Special Collections area of the Jones Library will not be needed in FY2025 because of delays in the Jones Library expansion project, and may not be needed at all if the project does not go forward. Also, payments on the money pledged to the affordable housing projects at East Street School/Belchertown Road and on Ball Lane are unlikely to be needed in FY 2025. Therefore, she felt there were sufficient funds to cover the $800,000 requested in this budget year.

CPA Committee Recommends Requested Funding
Matt Cain made a motion that Amherst approve another $800,000 for the project, while also recommending to reduce the allocation if deemed appropriate and to urge the Regional School Committee to pursue funding from the other three towns. The motion passed 7-0.

This recommendation will go to the Amherst Finance Committee and Town Council. Slaughter said he is working on proposals to request CPA funds from Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury.