The Amity Regional School District No. 5 Board of Education voted in favor of two resolutions Oct. 21 that will move two facilities projects forward to referendum in December. The referendum will take place on Dec. 4. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bethany Town Hall, the High Plains Community Center in Orange, and the Center Building in Woodbridge.
The first of these projects will address improvements to the building and grounds facilities at all three schools. Included in this project are ongoing upgrades to the HVAC system at Amity Regional High School, as well as adding air conditioning the small gym, the last space in the building that is not air-conditioned.
These improvements are part of an ongoing plan to address needs identified in the vanZelm Condition Assessment report from January 2016. Chillers will also be refurbished at the high school and phase three (of three) of parking lot paving will be completed at Amity Regional High School. Additionally, the project seeks to design and improve the acoustics in the gymnasiums and cafeterias at both middle schools.
The second project aims for improvements to the Amity Regional High School outdoor athletic facilities. This project includes a complete upgrade of the athletic stadium as well as upgrades to the competition field. The athletic stadium was last improved 30 years ago, and almost all aspects of the stadium are at end-of-life. The asphalt track, constructed in 1999, would be replaced with a post-tensioned concrete track with an expected lifespan of 50 years or more. The metal halide lights and wooden poles, installed in 1988, would be replaced with energy efficient LED lights on metal poles. An all-weather field would be installed, replacing the current sod field. Installation of an all-weather field would increase the use of the stadium from its current single sport, football, to all six field sports by adding competition space for girls’ field hockey, boys’ and girls’ soccer, and girls’ and boys’ lacrosse.
The proposal also includes the installation of an LED scoreboard, which would allow the scoreboard to be adjusted to the sport or competition being played in the stadium.
Last, the proposal includes enhancements to the current Amity competition field. This field, originally designed as a practice field, would be upgraded with permanent spectator bleachers and an ADA compliant walkway, as well as an LED scoreboard.
Additional information can be found on the district website at amityregion5.org/.