Wellesley stadium playing field, track plan to get real

The Wellesley Playing Fields Task Force (PFTF) on Monday night will attempt to get the Board of Selectmen’s initial blessing for a plan to build a new turf field and replace the aging track on the site of the existing stadium near Wellesley High School.

The artificial turf, like that at the Sprague fields, would far better withstand rough weather than the current grass at the high school football stadium and allow for more use by youth sports and team practices. This would help fill the “three field gap” the town faces, according to the PFTF.  The plan calls for a field and track reconfiguration, including a wider field that would support not only football, but MIAA field hockey, lacrosse and soccer. Such a project would likely cost more than $2 million.

But for starters, the task force is just looking to get a positive reception from the Board of Selectmen so that it can convince the Community Preservation Committee to part with funds for a design study of the proposed stadium. If a stadium plan is approve following the design study,, efforts would then kick in on funding, most likely with a plan to divvy things up between the town, community preservation and private sources.

The initial plan does not call for a stadium with lights, thus avoiding possible neighborhood protests on that front.