Published in the March 16, 2017 edition

By Bill Laforme

NORTH READING – The town’s long saga over restroom facilities at Arthur Kenney Field will continue for at least several more months.

On Monday night, voters at the special town meeting approved a request for $50,000 to complete the design of the facility with an eye on bringing a complete proposal, with an exact price, to voters at the June town meeting.

Town officials had initially expected to seek funding for the restroom facility itself at the town meeting, but were dismayed by steady increases in the estimated cost of the project. For example, a cost estimate of $565,741 provided on Jan. 31 reportedly jumped to $652,031 as of March 2 – and that didn’t include another $26,768 for a concrete pad to serve as a foundation for what could become a concessions stand at some point in the future. That said, town officials are generally optimistic that the estimated cost will come down considerably once the project is completely designed and has gone out onto the market for bids.

Whatever the final cost of the project, Town Administrator Mike Gilleberto has recommended that the town use $450,00 from its free cash, and borrow the rest. The state has ordered the town to install adequate restrooms at the field, but has also been flexible with its enforcement as long as it has continued to demonstrate progress on the matter. That said, Athletic Facilities Committee Chairman and School Committee member Mel Webster warned that “the field at some point will be closed if we don’t put a restroom there.”

Selectman Jeffrey Yull made a motion to change the warrant article so that the requested funds would have been used to add public restrooms to the existing team building at the field. Yull said that this option would save $217,000 compared to what the Athletic Facilities Committee was considering. “You have everything you need, all you need to do is remodel it and add to it,” said Yull. The motion by Yull failed on a voice vote.

Cliff Bowers, the chairman of the school committee, cited his own personal engineering background and recommended to voters that no modifications be made to the building. Webster noted that the current building is used almost daily for events and sports, while Rita Mullin, a member of the athletic facilities committee, warned that the expected savings would likely never materialize due to factors like rising construction costs and lost storage space from the existing building.