AMHERST — The Town Council is putting $900,000 in free cash toward the overhaul of the track and field at Amherst Regional High School, getting the $4.7 million project that could include a reoriented eight-lane track and artificial turf interior field closer to the finish line.
In a unanimous vote Monday, councilors reversed their deadlocked vote from Nov. 21 that rejected the appropriation — possibly giving the project, supported by the Amherst Regional School Committee and with with fundraising being done by the Amherst Hurricane Boosters — the momentum needed to be launched.
The vote came after District 1 Councilor Michele Miller amended the original appropriation to give more flexibility to Superintendent Michael Morris to pursue a plan that would be about $1 million cheaper and include a natural grass playing surface, after she and others raised concerns about the dangers posed by toxic PFAS chemicals that are contained in most artificial turf.
Miller said all options should be on the table for remedying the problems and poor conditions at the existing track and its interior field.
“It also sends a message to our student athletes that we have their back, and I think we can all agree on that,” Miller said.
The vote, following extensive discussion, came after councilors agreed to reconsider last month’s decision by a 9-3 vote. Council President Lynn Griesemer determined by what she termed a “judgment call” that there was sufficient new information provided to the Town Council since the previous vote.
That information included a memo from Morris and Athletic Director Victoria Dawson explaining the extent of needs and demands for all high school and junior high playing fields, as well as a response from Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Finance Director Sean Mangano and Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek explaining the $10 million to $12 million expense for overhauling all of the regional junior high and high school fields.
Morris said the reasoning behind the memo he and Dawson sent was to show that the high school track and field presented an “incredibly urgent situation” that requires the town to make a commitment following several years of analysis by a consultant and a study committee, and the recommendation from the regional school committee with representatives from Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury.
“I think we’re at a place where our students rightfully are demanding a level of commitment to solve the problem,” Morris said.
Miller also brought forward a companion resolution calling for the regional school committee to pay close attention to the emerging science around PFAS or “forever chemicals,” and to work with experts to better understand the impacts of PFAS.
A decision on that resolution was postponed by District 5 Councilor Shalini Bahl-Milne, who said she needed more time to examine its contents and the potential for unintended consequences, such as harming the Hurricane Boosters’ fundraising campaign.
During the first hour of the meeting, councilors again heard from parents and athletes who support the project, as well as opponents of using artificial turf, though several of those critics were not residents of the four regional towns.
“We all know firsthand how dire the need is for a new and improved outdoor athletic facility which should include a turf field,” said Pam Rietkerk of Wildflower Drive.
Neil Cunniffe, a high school student, said having a modern track and field should help to bring the community together, noting that some peers have left for private schools due to the field conditions in Amherst.
Deb Leonard of Old Farm Road expressed frustration that “a handful of people can torpedo good projects,” and that there was a necessity to defend recommendations and actions by committees. “I want to say I’m getting really tired of doing this sort of thing,” Leonard said.
Similarly, Marcus Smith of North Amherst asked councilors why there is a need to have committees spend time investigating and recommending. “At the 11th hour we have the usual Google research crew turn up and just change things for us,” Smith said.
The unanimous vote was anticlimactic, though it came with brief exchange between councilors after District 4 Councilor Pamela Rooney said she was reluctantly supporting the plan, even though she was concerned that not all questions had been answered to her satisfaction. That led her, when called upon, to say her vote was, “sadly, yes.”
Then, when District 5 Councilor Ana Devin Gauthier’s turn to vote in the affirmative came up, she said, “Hell, yeah,” prompting Rooney to respond, “Come on.”
“If Pam can be sad, I can be happy,” Devlin Gauthier said.