Current Field Status
- Fields not cleared for practice or play until March 31 at the earliest, but based on weather, this could be delayed further
- Masconomet utilized indoor field house & Boxford Commons for field sport practices and tryouts, including baseball
- Athletes aren’t training on their home turf
- Rides to non-school locations had to be coordinated between Seniors (non-JOL) and parents, mid-day both to and from Boxford Commons
- Masco rents Boxford Commons from Mid-March through April for HS and G8 Soccer – 18-24 hours/week
- March weekends resulted in often 3 sports at one time being played on Boxford Commons resulting in significant over-crowding and limited value trying to appropriately train in the pre-season
- Masco HS is not prioritized at Boxford Commons turf field after April or September when Boxford youth sports is in full swing and other renters are prioritized over the high school
Current Project Status
- Stantec provided a proposal for Phase 1
- Design, Engineering, Permitting: $449,050
- Bidding & Construction Services: $181,900
- Phase I Construction Costs: $7,062,738
- Phase I Contingencies: $706,274
- Turf Up Masco is committed to the effort to privately fundraise for this project, but is seeking financial support from the Tri-Towns to move forward with Design, Engineering and Permitting
- Financial support from the towns will help expedite this phase of the project
- Turf Up Masco’s fundraising initiatives will go towards the remainder of the Phase 1 costs
- A vote of “yes” at the town meeting will demonstrate the commitment to the project by Tri-Town residents
- Topsfield & Middleton Finance Committees voted to give a positive recommendation at the Town Meetings on the cost of the Design, Engineering & Permitting through a free cash appropriation on a Warrant Article
Masconomet School Committee is not seeking Tri-Town approval or funding for the construction of turf fields at Masco at this time. This funding request is to move the project through permitting. It is challenging to fundraise for the permitting process.
Explanation of Town Warrants:
Boxford, Middleton & Topsfield have free cash resources that can be allocated to different budget items or to provide a revenue source for the ensuing year’s budget.
Please note: this is not a tax increase or a tax override.
Free Cash, as defined by Department of Local Services – MA Department of Revenue
“Free cash is a revenue source that results from the calculation, as of July 1, of a community’s remaining, unrestricted funds from its operations of the previous fiscal year based on the balance sheet as of June It typically includes actual receipts in excess of revenue estimates and unspent amounts in departmental budget line items for the year just ended, plus unexpended free cash from the previous year. Free cash is offset by property tax receivables and certain deficits, and as a result, can be a negative Number. Cities and towns generally use free cash to support current-year operations or to provide a revenue source for the ensuing year’s budget.”
