A project to build a new track and field at Amherst Regional High School in western Mass. is likely to begin this summer at a cost of $4.11 million.
The Amherst Regional School Committee unanimously approved the selection of M.J. Cataldo Inc., in Littleton, Mass., to handle the long-awaited project on Feb. 11, 2025 after determining the contractor's qualifications and submitted the lowest of 10 bids, which ranged up to $6.91 million.
The bid is $384,000 below the school committee's cost projections and $400,000 below what is already in hand for the project.
M.J. Cataldo also included in its bid six alternates, or add-ons, including a fence and a concrete bleacher pad, which will be completed under the contract.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette noted that following the vote, there was applause by committee members, as well as Sarahbess Kenney, the board's chair, offering appreciation to Bob Pereint, the special capital projects coordinator of Amherst, and Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek.
"This was a whole heap [of work]," Kenney said.
The low bid from M.J. Cataldo means that there will be a 10 percent contingency.
"It's what we hoped for, and we got there," Pereint said.
Amherst-Pelham Regional School District (ARPS) includes the towns of Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury. It includes four elementary schools, a middle school and the high school.
High School Will Soon Host Track Meets Once Again
Amherst High's new track and field was designed by SLR Consulting in Agawam, Mass. and will be replacing the 25-year-old latex-covered asphalt track with a new eight-lane surface.
Inside the track will be a reoriented, north-south playing field with a natural grass surface. Nearby, a second playing field also will be built to the west of the track.
The old track surface has been in such poor condition in recent years, the Gazette noted, that the high school has been unable to host home track meets since 2018. In addition, the interior playing field has been plagued with divots and holes and is often wet. The school district noted that one of its concerns with using a grass surface is the drainage and necessary maintenance that will need to be done to keep it in good shape.
So far, more than $4 million has been appropriated for the project, and another $176,000 is anticipated to come from the town of Leverett, Mass., where voters at its annual town meeting will be asked to draw those funds from the Community Preservation Act (CPA) account.
Already, Amherst, Mass. has provided $1.76 million from its CPA account, with Shutesbury contributing $136,000, and Pelham $110,500 from their accounts.
Other sources of funding include $1.5 million in debt approved by the regional schools and $900,000 in free cash from Amherst. Another $104,840 donation comes from the Amherst Hurricane Boosters, which is less than what had been sought; however, its fundraising was largely contingent on building an interior athletic field with synthetic turf, a surface later removed from consideration due to local health board objections over forever chemicals.
The contractor will have 120 days to complete the work after the fields are turned over to M.J. Cataldo in late June 2025. Amherst High's athletic director is aware that there will be a "short term impact" to the fields during the fall sports season, Ziomek said.
In addition to the chain-link fence at the track and a concrete bleacher pad, the other alternatives in the project include walkway improvements along Mattoon Street, as well as new LED lights, poles, wiring and controls at the athletic complex. 20-ft. high ball safety netting and runout chutes on the east side of the track are also set to be installed.
