By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
Much progress is being made at the North Attleborough High School’s Ray Beaupre Field.
At last Monday’s School Committee meeting, Superintendent John Antonucci said the last coating of the track’s asphalt base had been laid, and four weeks later, the surfacing and striping would begin. He called this the “culmination of the track portion,” and cited other completed work, including new curbing, fencing, and retaining walls.
“The track project itself is huge,” he said.
Originally, the plan was to rebuild the bleachers and track. In 2021, Antonucci reviewed the project and discovered a lack of consideration regarding plumbing codes, the concession stands at the site, storage concerns, and ADA compliance.
As such, in April of that year, a master plan was constructed by Nersa Engineering, which focused on track replacement, bleacher replacement, a press box and lift addition, toilets, lavatories, and fencing. This raised the cost of the project from $1.8 million already allocated to $5 million.
New bleachers—to replace the old ones that were rotting and rusted—have seen significant delays due to material shortage and long waits on delivery. Antonucci said these were on order and site work would begin over the next two weeks, with the installation to be done over the winter. He’s met with engineers and designers to choose finishes for the new bleachers and press box and joked that red would be the dominant color.
There have been several meetings to refine the design for the new bathrooms and concession stand. These will be built next to the existing building, which will be used for storage. Antonucci said the exterior will be made to compliment what is already there.
“This project is moving kind of fast and furious at this point,” said Antonucci. “It will be really good once it’s done.”
