Litchfield Elementary School District Governing Board members voted unanimously Oct. 14 to approve construction of an artificial turf play area and drainage improvements at Verado Heritage Elementary School.

Board members moved the item off the consent agenda for discussion. A district facilities representative described persistent safety problems at the site — rocky soil that brings large rocks to the surface and has produced student injuries — and said the recommended solution is to excavate and install a higher-grade artificial turf system with a drainage system to avoid puddling. The district estimates the installation will take about three-and-a-half to four weeks.

Board Member Mikes said he pulled the item to get “a little bit more transparency” about the scope and cost. The facilities representative said turf was selected because previous attempts to fill and seed the ground had failed and rocks continued to surface. The representative also noted Verado Heritage’s two larger fields are not owned by the district, leaving the small playground as the primary on-campus play surface.

Board Member Moran asked whether turf is a longer-term solution than rubberized surfacing and whether the district would apply the approach to other campuses. The facilities representative said the district intends to buy a higher durability turf to improve return on investment and that, if the Verado Heritage installation performs well, similar surfaces could be considered at other sites but likely would require additional bond funding for larger fields.

On funding, the facilities representative said the project will be paid from remaining 2013 bond funds and, if necessary, the 2024 bond authorization. The board approved the project with a motion from Board Member Moran and a second from Board Member Wallace; voting members present recorded unanimous “yay” votes.

The board did not provide a total contract amount in the public discussion; the transcript and agenda materials list the dollar figure associated with the consent item but that specific amount was not restated during the discussion.