Wanting More Time, School Board Tables Design Contract for Greeley Turf Field

Amid concern over financial exposure to the project, the Chappaqua school board voted Thursday to table a proposed contract with a firm to do design and construction management work on a proposed turf field conversion at Horace Greeley High School.

The proposed agreement with The WBA Group, Inc. calls for payment of up to $141,200 for work on five phases: pre-design, design, construction documents, approvals, then construction management. The cost for the first three phases is about $88,000, with a completion deadline by Nov. 1 and a billing due date of Dec. 1. The district's minimum financial exposure would be if they only proceed with the design phases, and a maximum if they opt to go with the construction management afterward.

The agreement is needed because the district owns the existing grass competition field that would be converted, and needs state Department of Education approval for it.

Two groups to raise money for the field, the Greeley Sports Boosters and The Chappaqua Turf Committee (TCTC), are supposed to pay for the project instead of the district, but at the meeting, board member Victoria Tipp raised concern about the district being on the hook for the cost of services with WBA if they cannot come up with the money in time for payment.

“It’s just the ability of the community to come up with this amount of money” in the period of time.

School board President Alyson Kiesel was in favor of being cautious, and doing more due dilligence for the contract.

“I think that it makes sense to be prudent," she said.

Board members Randall Katchis and Jeffrey Mester expressed willingness to hold a vote at the Thursday meeting, supportive of the community groups' intentions, but utlimately agreed to go along with tabling the item. Fellow board member Karen Visser was absent.

The board decided to table the agreement after meeting with counsel. It is anticipated that a special board meeting for it will be called next week, according to Kiesel.

Currently, there is a little more than $10,000 that the groups have for the project, according to Boosters president Jim Nottingham.

"I understand their concern," Nottingham said about payment. He said he is "very confident" that they will meet their fundraising goals.

The total cost of the turf field is not to exceed $2 million. That number is a cap placed in the agreement with WBA, which would design a field that has a cost within the amount. Nottingham explained that the Boosters and TCTC have a fundraising goal up to that amount.

The two community groups, hoping to have the field completed in time for next fall, would undertake active fundraising drives later this month, according to Nottingham, including brick sales and naming rights. Donations are currently being accepted, but fundraising has been through word of mouth, explained Nottingham.