Source: Levittown Now
Bristol Borough and the Bristol Borough School District continue to work together on resurfacing the track at the high school.
Last month, Bristol Borough Council awarded a $511,250 contract to American Athletic Track and Turf for the resurfacing of the aging track at Bristol High School.
This month, borough officials said they were working on potential design changes that would relocate both the start and finish line and the long and triple jump events to more viewer-friendly locations.
“There were some recommendations to see if we could make some additional modifications so that the track is how we want it to be for the foreseeable future and we don’t have to redo this again,” said Amanda Fuller, the borough’s engineer.
Fuller stated that despite the proposed changes, the infield will still accommodate field hockey games. The borough took over the track project after the school district was unable to qualify for funding. The arrangement made the borough eligible for the grant that is funding the renovations.
State Sen. Steve Santarsiero and State Rep. Tina Davis, both Democrats, awarded the project a $485,000 state grant last year.
Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe said he wants to get the track project done properly.
“We never did a project in town unless we did it right,” DiGuiseppe said. “My recommendation is to write up something, get a proposal together, let’s get it to the school board, let’s find out the cost and see how we’re going to get this resolved.”
DiGuiseppe added that if the project cannot be done correctly, the council might reconsider the entire undertaking.
“If we’re not going to do it the right way, then I think council’s made a decision, we’re not going to do it at all,” he stated. “We want to do what’s right for the kids. It’s going to be here for the next 25, 30 years. So again, let’s do it the right way or let’s give the grant money back.”
Borough and school district officials will work with the contractors on moving the project forward over the coming weeks.
The current track is approximately 25 years old and has deteriorated in recent years, according to Angelo Quattrocchi, who volunteered his time to help research track options along with Bristol Borough High School track coach Ron McGinn.“The kids get shin splints because it’s such a hard surface,” Quattrocchi said.
The team visited multiple schools throughout Lower Bucks County to check out different track surfaces and options before making their recommendation.
“We went out to Bristol Township and William Tennent. We’re not getting a Ferrari of a track and we’re not getting the Yugo either,” Quattrocchi said. “It’s a very good value that we’re getting.”