Preliminary information provided by soil testing firm R.W. Gillespie & Associates shows both infields and the baseball outfield at the new Jefferson Village School did not meet screening specifications, according to AOS 93 Superintendent Steve Bailey.
Among other issues related to the construction of the school, the sports fields have been a focus of concern since contamination of glass shards and other objects were discovered over the last year.
Parents and community members have also voiced issues over the size of rocks found on the fields as well as the quality of the fields’ grass and soil.
As a result, approximately 18 people inspected the field Aug. 23. The inspectors included Bailey, the Jefferson School Committee, community members, Kevin Bowman, of general contractor Bowman Constructors, Bill Reinhardt, of subcontractor George C. Hall & Sons which installed the fields, and other parties related to the construction of the school.
Over 60 pieces of glass, metal, pottery, oversized rocks, and other items were identified during a visual inspection of the entire baseball field. In the softball outfield, pieces of a ball officials said was likely hit by a lawn mower was found. The infield of the softball field was not inspected.
Metal detection yielded roughly six pieces of metal below the surface of the softball field, and five pieces below the surface of the baseball field, according to Bailey.
To round out the inspection, Gillespie took 20 samples of soil from the fields and nearby play areas to be analyzed, Bailey told the school committee at their meeting on Sept. 10. Each sample was 2-feet by 2-feet and 1 foot deep, he said.
As a result of those samples, Gillespie found only two pieces of glass; one from a sample taken between the walkway near the softball field and the playground, and the other in the softball infield, Bailey said.
Only the softball outfield, however, appeared to have been properly screened to specification for size by the contractor, he said.
The infields were to have been screened to 3/8-inch minus, and the outfields were to have been screened to 1-inch minus, Bailey said. Both infields and the baseball outfield did not meet those specifications, he said.
Bailey said he has not yet been provided with a final report from Gillespie, and the soil nutrient analysis being performed at the University of Maine may still take some time.
In the meantime, the fields will remain closed to any use by the school or the public, Bailey said.
Once the results are in, Bailey, the school committee, and all the other relevant parties will meet to discuss the findings and determine what the next steps will be, Bailey said.
Bailey said he anticipates the material in the infield areas could be replaced this fall.