Bidding to begin for field project

EAST LYME — The bidding process has begun on a project that would repair East Lyme High School’s baseball field, which could potentially cost over $150,000.

The outfield is in such disrepair that, after a study, it was recommended that the district completely reconstruct it, something that would cost $130,000 alone, Hearst Connecticut Media reported in

August. The design, engineering, consulting, project management, and first year worth of turf growing would run the district another $22,000.

Facilities director Christian Lund said that a pre-bid meeting for the project took place Tuesday morning, and the project would move ahead from there.

“If you don’t come, you can’t bid,” Lund said, according to a recording of Monday night’s Board of Education meeting.

Representatives from five different contractors attended the meeting, he said.

At the request of a board member, Lund broke the project down into a “high-level” description instead of reading off the 11 or 12 line items in the bid.

The first step of the field project will be to dig out what is there. Then the very top layer of vegetation, which Lund said is about 18 inches in depth, will be removed.

Most of what will be removed will remain on the field, however, Lund said, the district will probably lose a good portion of the senior parking lot during construction because equipment for the project will take up those spaces.

Whoever is awarded the bid will look at what is exposed after the dirt and vegetation are removed, and mix in sand to the material that was taken out.

“It was just not coarse enough,” Lund said at the meeting. “The sand will give it a better porosity, allow it to drain better.”

After that mixture is put down, the irrigation system will be put on top of it and a cover will go on top of the system.

The school district then has the option to seed or sod the field, depending on the cost and where the project is at that time.

Lund estimated that the project, once shovels are put in the ground, would take about 30 days.

Something not included in the bid is connecting the irrigation system with the town’s waterline, which, Lund said, will require coordinate with the town and one of the potential contractors.

Lund did not know how many bids the district would see for the project, although he had already received some questions Monday.

Bids are due next week.