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Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Wellesley sports news: Sprague synthetic turf fields to get a facelift

January 10, 2019 by Deborah Brown 1 Comment

It may seem like only yesterday that two of the five Sprague Fields were converted from grass to synthetic, but a decade flies by when kids are having fun playing sports. Now the heavily used fields, originally constructed in June – October 2008,  are due for maintenance to the tune of $1 million.

The synthetic fields are referred to as Sprague 2 and 3, and are located between Sprague Elementary School and Wellesley Middle School. The fields are part of a playing field complex that is used for school sports and Recreation Department permitted events including football, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, baseball, and tennis.

Wellesley Sprague Field 2
Wellesley Sprague Field 2

In fair condition

In September 2017 a Civil Field Report of the fields’ condition commissioned by the Town was conducted by Gale Engineering. The report noted that the existing field carpet is in fair condition and showing signs of wear and recommended that it be replaced. Specifically, in many areas the turf fibers are matted, and in some areas the thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and sand infill is starting to become visible. Although the turf fibers are not excessively degraded (for example, when rubbed by hand they don’t break easily or come loose), there is significant wear in high-impact areas. The Town expects the project will include replacing the turf, reinstalling the TPE and sand infill, and repainting the lines, hopefully with minimal disruption to field use and the surrounding area.

Materials matter

It is most likely that the Town will stick with using TPE, the same fill material as was used during the 2008 construction of the project. The Town’s representative for the project, Town Engineer David Hickey, says, “Our preference for TPE is based on three things, first the research that was done with our first project, pointing us to TPE, and which is still relevant, next the user feedback which has been very favorable and lastly the potential to reclaim/reuse some material.”

Wellesley Sprague Field 3
Wellesley Sprague Field 3

Another popular material used for synthetic field fill is loose tire crumb, however questions have been raised by the public about that material’s possible association with various health and environmental hazards. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that limited studies have not shown elevated health risks from playing on fields with tire crumb. Still, the EPA is concerned enough about potential hazards to have committed, along with the Centers for Disease Control, to further study the possible effects of tire crumb exposure on human health. The Town has elected to stay away from the material, and there are no fields in Wellesley that are constructed using loose tire crumb.

Athletic Director John Brown said, “We are excited that we will be replacing the turf surfaces at Sprague Field this summer. The complex at Sprague has been great for all of our athletic programs in Town. When we initially built the turf fields with the TPE infill they were the first fields done with this product in the United States. We have found it to be tremendous. Our fields are the very best in the State. Our opponents and officials have all commented what a great surface we have. We have since used the same infill on the Stadium Field. We look forward to the new turf and to be back playing on two brand new surfaces next fall.”

I stopped by both the Sprague Fields and the Wellesley High School Stadium Field, and the difference is definitely noticeable. The WHS field, which was completed in 2016, has none of the fibers-matting issues that are clearly visible at Sprague. In addition, the fill materials at WHS have stayed put, whereas small, gray plastic pellets and yellow threads have surfaced at the Sprague fields (below).

Wellesley Sprague Field 2
TPE fill materials are in evidence on the surfaces of both Sprague Field 2 & 3.
Wellesley Sprague Field 2
In sections of Wellesley Sprague Field 2, determined weeds are poking through the synthetic material.

A summer project

The project is expected to start and end during summer 2019 over a period of 8 – 10 weeks.

There are no plans at this time to convert the three grass fields in the Sprague complex to synthetic turf.

Although only the two turf fields will undergo maintenance, Hickey says some of the other areas in the Sprague complex will be impacted for access, material storage and stockpile, “but we are hoping to minimize the impact to adjacent facilities.”

Unlike in 2008, when the Wellesley Community Preservation Committee (CPC) ponied up $1.5 million of the total $4 million cost of the project, none of the estimated $1 million cost of the 2019 project will come from the CPC  because maintenance work is not eligible for such funding. However, Hickey says the Town has a turf replacement fund that envisioned the fields’ maintenance needs and that it will be tapped to assist with the cost of the project.

Youth sports programs will also kick in some of the funds, but not in an overt fundraising sort of way. Part of the fees paid with typical permits or user fees goes toward the cost of keeping up the field.

Additional funding is likely to come from a capital project request, meaning borrowing. It is not yet known how that borrowing would be structured.

Putting together an “ask”

The Town put out a Request for Proposals for engineering services for the replacement of synthetic fields at Sprague Field in early 2018, with a deadline of December 21, 2018. All proposals were required to include plans, permits, and construction specifications, along with a fixed price fee for all work contemplated.

According to Town Engineer David Hickey, out of four consultant firms that put in proposals, “Gale Engineering, out of Weymouth, Massachusetts, the original consultant for both the Sprague fields and the more recent High School project, responded with the best proposal.”

There are still steps to go through before the contract is awarded, however. Hickey says, “It will be subject to the typical public procurement bidding process. We need to move pretty quickly, our goals are to have the consultant under contract by the end of January, and then produce the final technical documents by the end of February, so bidding can occur in March, hopefully fitting into a narrow construction summer window.”

The Town’s representative for this engagement will be David Hickey, P.E., Town Engineer, Department of Public Works, Engineering Division. Questions or comments regarding the project may be directed to him at (781) 235-7600, ext. 3310 or dhickey@wellesleyma.gov.

Sprague Field work, July 2008

 

Sprague Field work, August 2008

Wellesley College turf field also to be replaced

Not to be outdone by the townies, Wellesley College will this summer also replace their turf field and put in new lights. Big-time donors Alice Lehmann Butler, Wellesley College Class of  1953 and her husband, John Butler, Babson College Class of 1952 are kicking in major funds to make it happen, along with others.

Filed Under: Construction, Government, Sports, Sprague Elementary School, Wellesley Middle School

Linden Square, Wellesley
Riverbend, Natick

Sprague School Cookie Walk a runaway success

December 14, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The annual Sprague Cookie Walk was as fun as ever, as families paid $3 a bag for cookies made with love by Sprague families. The PTO fundraiser included a raffle, a holiday plant sale, a magician, and card decorating.  They sold 545 dozen cookies in bags of 6 cookies per bag. So if my quick math is correct, all that sugar earned the PTO over $3,000. Here are some pics of the fun:

Wellesley Sprague School cookie walk
Families tried their luck in a raffle at the Sprague School Cookie Walk PTO fundraiser. Photo credit Robin Brett Wechsler
Wellesley Sprague School Cookie Walk
Here’s what everyone really came for: the cookies. The bags were full of all those traditional family recipes that get pulled out but once a year. Photo credit Robin Brett Wechsler
Wellesley Sprague School Cookie Walk
At the crafts table, kids made holiday cards for Boston Children’s Hospital patients who are undergoing treatments over the holiday season. Photo credit Robin Brett Wechsler

Filed Under: Food, Fundraising, Holidays, Kids, Sprague Elementary School, Volunteering

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley
Wellesley Lacrosse

Wellesley’s Sprague School cookie walk — because winter demands sugar

December 12, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Sprague School‘s Annual Cookie Walk, The Ultimate Cookie Sale
WHEN: Thursday, December 13, 2018
TIME: 3:05 pm – 5:00 pm
WHERE: Sprague School Gym, 401 School St., Wellesley

Last year’s cookie-laden tables in the Sprague School gym.

Cookies are $3/bag

There are gobs of cookies, of course, but this fun annual PTO fundraiser also features raffles, a magician, holiday trees, and card decorating.

MORE:

Wellesley Winter Holiday Happenings

Filed Under: Entertainment, Food, Fundraising, Holidays, Sprague Elementary School, Volunteering

Sara Campbell, Wellesley

Buzz on over to the Wellesley Education Foundation Spelling Bee

November 12, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Education FoundationOn Wednesday, November 14th, 7pm, at the Sprague School Gym, the Wellesley Education Foundation will put on its 29th annual spelling contest and fundraising event. Catch the buzz along with 55 teams participating in the year’s Bee. Wellesley’s wordsmiths will work in teams of three to spell it all out, and  Master of Ceremonies Mike Dowling, longtime WCVB-TV Sportscaster, will be on hand to spit the vocab.

Think it sounds easy? The winning words from the past three years were legerdemain (spelled by Wellesley College, 2017); unguligrade (spelled by Coldwell Banker, 2016); and threnody (spelled by Weston Health Advances, 2015).

Stop by and cheer on the teams. Admission, snacks, and a light dinner are free at the Bee, WEF’s largest fundraiser for the year.

Did I ever tell you about the time my team came in second place…oh, never mind.

Filed Under: Education, Entertainment, Fundraising, Sprague Elementary School, Volunteering

The Wellesley Schools summer reading books aren’t going to read themselves — here’s an inspiring video by Sprague teachers

August 4, 2018 by Caleb Brown Leave a Comment

The Sprague elementary school teachers have outdone themselves once again in their annual short film encouraging students to push through their summer reading even when the going gets tough. Sprague students are encouraged to read about 30 minutes per day during the summer. (You can check out all Wellesley schools’ suggested summer reading on our Wellesley Summer Reading page.)

The film stars Ms. Fiore as an enthusiastic reader who must overcome a difficult section of her once-beloved, The Book. The film begins with Ms. Fiore having fun with The Book (played by Ms. Bartelloni), but things go sour when Ms. Fiore reaches a difficult part of The Book. After pushing The Book away, the rest of the story follows the path that leads Ms. Fiore to give The Book another chance, and it turns out the hard part can be overcome after all.

Highlights include a fantastic junk food binge scene and some expertly choreographed dancing. The soundtrack was full of hits, from The Turtles to Sinead O’Connor.

This masterpiece was directed by Mr. Craig, and his choices of the film’s various sets will be familiar to Sprague kids and parents. The story features various classrooms, hallways, the cafeteria and, of course, the library.

The inspirational messages at the end had me putting War and Peace and other classics on my summer reading list. I can read them after all!

Wellesley Sprague School video
We weren’t able to upload the video, but if you go over to the Sprague School’s site at this link, you can see The Book and The Reader and in all their dramatic glory.

Filed Under: Books, Education, Kids, Sprague Elementary School, Uncategorized

Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
Rick Cram, leader

Sprague Cookie Walk a sweet holiday tradition

December 18, 2017 by Deborah Brown 7 Comments

The annual Sprague Cookie Walk was as sweet as ever, as families paid $3 a bag to make sure their kids’ brown bag treats would be the envy of the lunch table. The PTO fundraiser has evolved over the years to include much more than just cookies. There was also a raffle, face painting, a holiday plant sale, a spirit gear sale, and a magic show.

The PTO managed the endless particulars of the fundraiser that over the years has risen higher than a loaf of fruitcake. The event also included a raffle, face painting, a holiday plant sale, a spirit gear sale, and a magic show.

 

Wise parents who hide a few cookies in the freezer in a bag labeled “raw carrots” will suffer no last-minute panic on Christmas Eve when it comes time to put out treats for the big guy.

Sprague Cookie Walk

Sprague Cookie Walk

The Sprague staff shared their favorite holiday recipes, and the PTO had these treasures bound and for sale in cookbook form.
Sprague Cookie Walk
An aerial view of the hallway between the cafeteria, where a magic show was taking place, and the gym, where all the cookies were arrayed.

 

 

Sprague Cookie Walk
Looking out at the Sprague playground. It’s a cold, cruel world out there. I’ll take cookies (almost) warm from the oven any day.

Sprague Cookie Walk
Sprague pride, displayed on a hallway locker.

Filed Under: Food, Fundraising, Sprague Elementary School

Wellesley School Committee holding important meeting on FY19 schools budget, other issues

December 12, 2017 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley School Committee is holding an important public meeting on Tuesday, December 12 at 6:30pm in the Juliani Room at Town Hall, 525 Washington St.

On the agenda:

The Wellesley Public Schools FY2019 budget presentation (this one is last on the Action/Discussion part of the agenda, scheduled at 8:15pm, if all goes in a timely manner). For context, here’s the FY2018 budget request.

Earlier on the agenda:

Discussion about Hardy and Upham Schools Improvement plans

Discussion about Wellesley Middle School facilities projects

A vote on the WMS and WHS programs of studies

A vote on the 2018 – 2019 academic calendar

A vote on the PAWS (Preschool at Wellesley Schools) feasibility study. Some discussion points have been: whether to 1.build out of the existing site, 2. do an addition onto Fiske Elementary to hold the preschool, and 3. develop a freestanding model for potential relocation of PAWS to another site

If you can’t make it to the meeting, you can watch it on the public access TV via Wellesley Media Corporation. 

Filed Under: Bates Elementary School, Education, Fiske Elementary School, Hardy Elementary School, Hunnewell Elementary School, Schofield Elementary School, Sprague Elementary School, Upham Elementary School, Wellesley High School, Wellesley Middle School

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