Steve Gates, a Democratic member of the Manchester Board of Directors, asked the board to look into the feasibility of building an indoor field house on the campus of Manchester High School for use by the school's sports programs, as well as the Manchester community, as part of Tuesday's Board of Directors meeting.
Gates cited the school system's decision to forbid a longheld policy of allowing the boys and girls indoor track teams to practice in the school's hallways in early 2011 as the primary reason for the fieldhouse, but noted that in addition to solving that problem the fieldhouse could also be used for other school events - such as graduation - as well as other community activities.
"I believe this facility would be a real win for the community," he told the Board of Directors, adding that it would make the town's public school system more attractive to current and potential future students.
Since 2011, members of the Manchester High girls and boys indoor track teams have had to take a bus to the Star Hill Family Athletic Center in Tolland daily to practice. Prior to the move, according to Gates, the boys and girls indoor track teams would routinely have between 75 and 120 participants, but participation on the team has dwindled to about 20 boys and girls combined. Gates noted that at the 2013 Connecticut CIAC Indoor State Championships in New Haven earlier this year, neither the boys or girls teams scored a single point.
"These programs are important in so many ways," Gates told the board. "One of which is that they are inclusive in that there are no team cuts. All you have to do is be willing to try running, jumping or throwing. These programs provide opportunities to a great many kids most in need of these opportunities."
Gates asked the board to commission a study on the cost and specifications of building an indoor fieldhouse on the Manchester High campus. He said that a "conservative" estimate done by an engineer who volunteered his services figured such a building would cost about $4 million.
Board members seemed supportive of Gates' proposition.
"I think it's a shame what happened to that program," said Mayor Leo V. Diana, noting that he was a member of a state championship winning track team at Manchester High in the 1970s.
Cheri Pelletier, a Republican member of the Board of Directors, said that she would even support putting the item out to voters in November as part of an anticipated referendum for school and capital improvements.
"It seems a little ridiculous that we don't even have a place for them to run, and yet we have people who come from all over the state and the country to use our facilities to run," said Pelletier, noting that the annual Manchester Road Race routinely attracts thousands of runners each year to Manchester.
General Manager Scott Shanley said it would not be possible to "fast-track" the designs and planning of the field house in time for a November referendum, as town staff were too busy working on a number of other school and town improvement projects expected to hit the ballot in November.
Still, Shanley said, an idea of what directors wanted in terms of the project would be a helpful starting point.
"Because this is competing with so many other different things, we're going to need some strong consensus on what you want us to look at and what the dollar amount is," Shanley said.
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