Simsbury facilities staff presented photos and usage data showing wear, separations and patching on the high-school turf and track and recommended adding turf replacement and track resurfacing to the near-term capital plan.

Facilities staff said the turf installation and track resurfacing are beyond typical warranty and life cycles (turf: major work in 2016; track resurfaced in 2014) and that sustained, high-volume community use ' from varsity teams, youth leagues, adult programs and summer clinics ' has increased deterioration. Staff showed separation between turf and track edges and localized tears and surface abrasion on the track, and cautioned that continued use could raise injury risk (for example, ankle rolls where turf separates from the track).

Why it matters: the field complex serves multiple user groups year-round and the facilities team said repairs now would likely be more costly if deferred. Board members discussed logistics for any summer resurfacing project (relocating teams or scheduling around seasons) and noted the fiscal trade-offs of doing turf and track replacement together versus in separate phases.

Staff also discussed related capital items: a phased roof replacement schedule (roof funds can be prioritized to avoid immediate full replacement at Henry James) and network/server lifecycle replacement (servers from 2011'12 need update; network improvements are a recurring biennial item). On rooftop solar, staff advised matching panel installation windows to roof condition (panels have roughly 20-year life) so solar installations and roof replacements align.

Budget context: the presentation noted multi-year capital planning assumptions and the town's approximate annual debt-service capacity used to schedule projects. Board members asked staff to present scenarios for timing and cost as the district moves into budget season.

No formal vote was taken on capital prioritization during the meeting; staff will return with cost scenarios and scheduling options.