Turf Field Approved At Braintree Highlands Elementary School

BRAINTREE, MA — Students at Braintree's Highlands Elementary will have a new space to play on starting in the spring of 2023.

The School Committee approved a project that will see a 75-by-100-foot patch of synthetic turf installed in the recreational area of the school, replacing a portion of the asphalt currently present. Installation is scheduled for the upcoming spring.

Vice President of the Highlands PTO Richard Inglis presented the idea to the board, sharing that the school would actually receive a deal on the project, courtesy of a local company.

Inglis said that Boston Turf and Fleming Bros Inc. have offered to donate the labor for the project, meaning the PTO will just need to raise money for the materials.

Material costs are set at $40,000, with an initial downpayment of $10,000 due by Jan. 1 to lock in the cost. According to Inglis, labor would cost an additional $60,000 if it weren't being donated.

An October PTO meeting to review the plan was attended by 45 parents. Inglis said parents were “mainly interested,” which was backed up by an Oct. 7 survey, which was completed by 132 people, with 105 supporting the project.

Community members and neighbors that live next to the property didn’t have major concerns with the project either, said Inglis.

In large part, the committee members were also in support of the project, though there was some hesitation based on what one member called a lack of information about the totality of the project.

The item did pass, however, by a vote of 5-2.