Town Meeting on $3.1 Million Field Project

A town meeting to discuss a proposed $3.1 million bonding package to build a new multipurpose athletic field and track at will be held tonight.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the high school, 61 Quaker Farms Road. Town officials will move to send the project to a referendum, which will be held from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 16, at Quaker Farms School, 30 Great Oak Road. 

The would bring an eight-lane rubberized track, an artificial turf field that can be used for multiple sports, bleachers, a press box and lights to the high school, which opened to students in 2007 without adequate athletic fields.

The project would be bonded for a maximum of 20 years at an interest rate between 2 percent and 2.5 percent. If approved by voters, the cost of the project would add about .16 mills to the tax rate, meaning that a homeowner with a house assessed at $250,000 could see an increase of about $35 a year, based on the current budget and grand list, both of which change year-to-year.

If the bond proposal passes by a simple majority at the Aug. 16 referendum, construction can begin shortly thereafter.

The Board of Finance said it anticipates receiving between $575,000 and $625,000 reimbursement from the state for this project.