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A committee
was established by a group of concerned Duxbury parents and coaches
to research the need and feasibility of constructing synthetic turf
athletic fields in our town. In this pursuit, the committee has organized
the DuxburyPRIDE Fields Project (Promoting Recreation
Investment to Develop Excellence). This has a 503c status and qualifies
for charitable and matching donations and subsequent tax advantages.
The
success of Duxbury athletics, from our youth through high school
programs, has been very apparent during the last ten years. We have
an extremely active community when it involves our children and their
participation in athletics. This has led to many league and state
championships at every level of play. But is this enough? The number
of athletic events taking place on the high school varsity field over the
past several seasons has been kept to a minimum. Football, soccer
and lacrosse call the “Raymond
P. Chandler” Field their home turf. In reality,
the condition of the playing surface, especially after or during
a moderate rainfall, is unsafe, not to mention unusable. This has
caused games to be postponed, relocated or cancelled.
As our town
has continued to grow, so have the various youth recreation and sports
programs, putting a strain on the fields within the town. The Duxbury
youth sports programs simply cannot utilize the DHS field and are
forced to find playable fields elsewhere in town, which has become
much more challenging. Duxbury is not alone in dealing with insufficient
fields, illustrated by the many local communities that have gone
forward with synthetic turf fields projects over the past few years,
including five our neighboring "Patriot
League" towns.
The “feasibility” of installing synthetic turf hinges primarily
on how it is financed. Our committee is in the midst of researching
various companies which not only construct, but provide preliminary
reports on the overall scope of the project, including cost projections.
Because the Town of Duxbury is in “Zero Balance Budget” phase,
the financing of the “DuxburyPRIDE” Project will most likely
come from private sources, including youth and high school families,
DHS alumni, local businesses, foundations, and national organizations,
among others.
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