The Town of Cheshire School Building Committee on Nov. 20 approved a not-to-exceed allocation of $45,000 to install underground conduit and water piping from Barnum Elementary’s mechanical rooms to two proposed multipurpose fields, a move intended to make future irrigation installation cheaper and less disruptive.

Design representative Rich (project design team) presented rough-order pricing and options, saying Richards’ unit estimate was $45 per linear foot and Winterberry quoted a lump sum of $59,550 to supply and install a full irrigation system for both fields. "This is a rough order of magnitude for you," Rich said, explaining that trenching, conduit and limited sidewalk replacement would be needed and that some interior plumbing and electrical work remains unpriced.

Why it matters: committee members and public commenters argued the fields will see heavy community use and could deteriorate without irrigation. Matt Germain, vice president of the Cheshire Soccer Club, told the committee the club and families "very strongly support adding irrigation to the 2 larger multi purpose fields at the North End School," saying irrigated fields are safer and more durable for organized play.

The committee debated two options: pay now for the full irrigation installation (estimated in the conversation at about $130,000 total) or authorize only the underground infrastructure now to avoid ripping up newly placed pavement and finishes later. The committee settled on installing conduit and water piping now, leaving final irrigation equipment procurement and interior building tie-ins to later decisions.

The committee’s motion authorized up to $45,000 from owner’s contingency/bid-savings to cover conduit installation, mechanical-room excavation and related incidental costs. The motion was seconded and approved by the committee; members asked that the design team confirm conduit diameter to allow future electrical capacity (for potential field lighting) and return with refined cost breakdowns.

What’s next: staff and the design team will obtain more detailed quotes and a final specification for conduit and interior tie-in work, then present those numbers at a future meeting. The committee directed the team to consider a larger conduit capacity if the marginal cost is small, to preserve the option of adding lighting later.

The committee also noted the allocation covers infrastructure only; separate approvals will be required for full irrigation installation and any additional plumbing or electrical work inside the building.