Behind the Times

Tomorrow: Timeout on the field

Posted on April 16, 2008 by Michael Ballway
Filed Under Mike's posts, Sports, Tomorrow's Times |

It’s not as though the Nashoba Regional School District has kept its turf field plans top-secret — we had a story on the proposal to resurface the high school fields as far back as November, and the superintendent’s take last month — but officials in Lancaster are all of a sudden upset over the School Committee’s lack of communication over the $1.28 million price tag, as we report this week on our front page.
Apparently this isn’t just a Lancaster thing: first to raise the concern was Bolton Advisory Committee member Dave Lindsay on the editorial page of our sister paper The Bolton Common last week. According to Lindsay, Bolton financial officials found out that the school district would need to borrow the money just an hour and a half before the Town Meeting warrant was to be closed; if it hadn’t been put on the warrant, he writes, Nashoba could have borrowed the money without any taxpayer input.

(Lancaster officials this week were able to squeeze an article onto the May 5 Town Meeting agenda — and the phrasing is “to disapprove” the turf field funding.)

Meanwhile, in this Friday’s Bolton Common, two of that town’s School Committee members argue that the rollout may have been botched, but the turf field project will benefit both the school and surrounding communities:

Clearly there were some hard feelings, and we accept responsibility for that. But even at that late hour, we felt this was a critical project and that voters should have a say in our plans without having to call a special Town Meeting. This is not just a school project; it will also be a resource for the community.

Should make for some interesting discussion May 5.

Elsewhere on our front page this week, Clinton remembers former School Superintendent Brendon Bailey and neighbors from two towns oppose rifle shooting at the Brandli parcel. All this and more is yours for 75 cents at all reputable newsstands in Clinton and Lancaster, and in your mailbox tomorrow.