The Jefferson School Committee voted unanimously to take no action on the most recent proposal to get the Jefferson Village School’s new baseball field into acceptable condition.
The field was installed by Rockland-based contractor George C. Hall & Sons in 2011 as part of the school’s construction.
The field, which has been found to contain glass, metal, oversized rocks, and other contaminants, has not yet been accepted as complete.
Committee members and the public have voiced concerns over safety due to the rocks and others items found in the field, and over quality and screening of the materials used in its construction.
Soil testing firm R.W. Gillespie & Associates found only two of 11 samples they took from the field in fall 2013 met screening specifications. Two of the firm’s samples were also found to contain glass, and two other samples did not meet organic content specs.
The school committee, Hall, and others involved in the construction process have been working toward a resolution, but have not yet found a solution the parties are willing to accept.
After an executive session to consult with their attorney at a special meeting Sept. 22, the school committee voted to take no action on Hall’s most recent proposal.
The proposal includes, at no cost to the school, contracting to aerate, seed, and fertilize the outfield and replace the infield mix with material from Sports Fields, Inc. Another fertilization and weed control would be performed next spring.
“We are confident that [the] above outlined steps will result in a fully functional and acceptable baseball field,” wrote Bill Reinhardt, vice president of operations for Hall, in the proposal.
Committee member Shawn St. Cyr made the motion to take no action on the proposal.
“I made the motion because, in my opinion, it [the proposal] does not do anything to actually rectify the safety issue. It’s just transferring who’s going to fertilize the field from them [Hall] to Sports Fields,” St. Cyr said.
In August the committee rejected a proposal from Hall which included, along with aeration, fertilization and other items, providing labor and equipment to replace the infield with material supplied by the school.
The August proposal also included an offer by Hall to hand-pick and remove any stones larger than one inch visible from the surface of the outfield.
Committee Chair Robert Westrich said estimates on the cost to remove and replace the top four inches of topsoil on the field and reseed it should be available at the committee’s Oct. 6 meeting.
The committee hoped to compare the estimates to the $30,000 estimated cost of arbitrating the field issue with Hall.
