Watertown Victory Field Improvements Project Town Council Presentation March 22, 2011

Boston Globe Article

Communities Are Considering These Fields Due to Intense Field Demands and Wear From: Increase in demands for field use Limited field space Fields not designed for current uses Increase in hours of use No time to rest fields Early spring & late fall use demands New England weather

Ideal Turf Characteristics for Sports Fields: Resilient – cushion falls, reduce injuries Firm – for good footing Pest and disease free Wear tolerant Dense plant stand Minimum water requirements Low maintenance Allows early spring and late fall play Natural Turf Cannot Meet These Requirements in Municipal Field Setting

“Infill” Artificial Turf as a Sustainable Alternative to Natural Turf Reduces runoff No irrigation No fertilizer No mowing No herbicides or pesticides Lower maintenance No play limits (quantity or time of year) Improved safety Potential for shared use to offset costs Lower cost long term

Cost Comparison Natural vs. Artificial Turf

Infill Artificial Turf Penn State evaluation Panhandle Sports Medicine Institute injury analysis NCAA Injury Surveillance System NFL Health and Safety Survey Conclusion : “Infill artificial turf safer than natural grass”

Synthetic Turf Field Inventory – mile radius # = Communities within the Middlesex League Listed in order of distance from Watertown # Belmont (1) Waltham (5) Newton (1) Cambridge (1) # Arlington (1) Brookline (2) Somerville (2) Medford (2) Weston (1) # Lexington (2) Roxbury (2) Back Bay/Fens (1) Jamaica Plain (1) # Winchester (1) South End (1) Wellesley (2) Charlestown (2) West Roxbury (planning process) Dorchester (1) South Boston (1) Malden (1) # Woburn (1) Lincoln (1) Everett (1) Needham (3) # Melrose (1) # Stoneham (0) Chelsea (1) Concord (1) Sudbury (4) Framingham (1) Natick (planning process) Revere (1) # Burlington (1) Westwood (1) Medfield (1) Milton (1) Quincy (1) Acton-Boxboro (1) Holliston (1) # Reading (2) 70% of towns/cities within 20 mile radius

Why Renovate Now Current poor conditions at Victory Field Field Drainage and condition Unacceptable lighting levels and system not functioning properly Scoreboards have limited or no function Safety related to the existing concrete bleachers Competitive disadvantage for the town’s athletes New facility would provide relief to other natural turf fields in town High percentage of cities/towns (70%) in the area have one or more artificial turf fields and most teams in the Middlesex League have at least one artificial turf field

Data Collection & Analysis

Analysis of Old Concrete Spectator Stands/Storage Structure  Accessibility issues  Stair risers and treads not code compliant  Width of access aisles not code compliant  Would require accessible ramps  height prohibitive  Would require additional handrails and safety railing  New aluminum seating and brackets would be problematic due to condition of existing concrete.

Potential Lighting Improvements

Drainage Analysis and Approach

Proposed Project Elements New infill artificial turf Multi-purpose field (160,000 square feet ) New Field lighting New dugouts, bull pens and batting cages New baseball spectator seating Home and visitor entrance improvements New Site fencing, netting system and support facility improvements Improved site drainage (3) New Scoreboards

Proposed Project

Project Budget Summary CDM Estimate Site preparation and removals$245,000 Artificial turf multi-purpose field$640,000 surfacing (160,000 square feet) Multi-purpose field base and amenities$883,000 elevated grandstand, dugouts, bull pens, batting cage, ball safety system Field drainage system and storm drain$302,000 improvements Field lighting and electrical $500,000 Miscellaneous work – fencing, paving,$305,000 retaining walls etc. Construction contingency $265,000 Total Project$3,140,000

Project Budget Summary March 2011 Bid Price Site Improvements Site preparation and removals Multi-purpose field base and amenities Field drainage system and storm drain improvements Field lighting and electrical Miscellaneous work – fencing, paving, retaining walls etc. retaining walls etc.______________________________________________________________________ Subtotal site improvements$ 2,222,000 Infill artificial turf field multi-purpose field surface$ 550,000 (160,000 square feet) Construction contingency /project administration$ 228,000 ___________________________________________________________________________________ Total Project $ 3,000,000

Project Sequence and Anticipated Schedule March 2011 Council meeting project appropriation February 2011 Project advertisement and Bid April 2011 Notice to proceed Spring/Summer 2011 Project Construction Early Fall 2011 Project Completion February 2011 Project design completion