Southington BOE Approves $5.38M Deal to Rebuild SHS Athletic Facilities

The Southington Board of Education voted unanimously on March 12, 2026, to approve a $5.38 million contract for a sweeping upgrade of athletic facilities at Southington High School — replacing deteriorating tennis courts, rebuilding home bleachers with a new press box, and adding a parking lot designed to ease traffic pressure on surrounding neighborhoods.

The board voted 9-0 in favor of the contract. The motion was made by board member Lisa Cammuso and seconded by Colleen Clark. FieldTurf USA, selected through the Capitol Region Education Council consortium procurement process used by Connecticut school districts to streamline competitive bidding, was awarded the work.

The total contract is $5,384,145, split into two components: $3,675,840 for the tennis courts and parking lot, and $1,708,305 for the bleachers and press box.

New Courts and Parking Planned for Southington High School

At the center of the project is the replacement of six existing tennis courts with seven new USTA-regulation courts. The current courts have deteriorated badly — the asphalt surface is cracked throughout, and two of the six courts have been rendered fully unplayable by subsurface instability beneath the surface.

Superintendent Steven Madancy, who has shepherded the district's capital improvement agenda and presented the proposal to the board, was candid about the state of the existing facility.

"The temporary solutions are no longer a feasible or logical option," Madancy told the board.

The new courts will meet United States Tennis Association standards, providing regulation dimensions and a proper playing surface for both competitive matches and recreational use.

The parking expansion — a new lot with approximately 143 spaces — addresses a problem that grew as changes in Connecticut law restricted student carpooling. With fewer shared rides available, more students began driving independently to school, pushing overflow parking onto surrounding residential streets. The new lot is designed to absorb that traffic back onto school property.

Bleachers to Be Rebuilt with Safety and Accessibility Upgrades

The existing home bleachers and press box at Southington High School will be fully replaced as part of the project. The new structure will include updated accessibility features, closed steps, and railings — improvements intended to bring the facility into compliance with ADA requirements and address safety concerns that have accumulated over the bleachers' lifespan.

At $1,708,305, the bleacher and press box replacement accounts for approximately 32 percent of the total project cost.

The Final Phase of a Multi-Year Campus Overhaul

The approvals complete what school officials describe as the last major phase of a comprehensive overhaul of Southington High School's athletic campus. Earlier phases over the past several years included renovations to softball lighting and dugouts, installation of a new running track, and a prior improvement to the stadium bleachers.

Madancy described the project's place in that longer arc before the board: "Piece by piece, we have been working on a complete overhaul of the athletic facilities based on our physical means and priority, liability, safety."

With the tennis courts and bleachers representing two of the most visible and deteriorated elements remaining on campus, board members characterized the vote as a significant milestone in a long-running commitment to modernizing SHS facilities.

Town Council Approval Still Required Before Construction Begins

Construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2026, but one additional approval is required before work can start: a sign-off from the Southington Town Council. The Board of Finance cleared a key funding hurdle in February 2026 by approving the additional capital funding the project requires as part of the district's multi-year capital improvement plan.

Once the town council approves the expenditure, FieldTurf USA can formally execute the contract and begin mobilizing for a summer construction start. The district has not publicly released a detailed construction schedule beyond the anticipated summer 2026 window.

The project represents one of the largest single athletic facility investments in Southington's recent history. District officials have framed the investment as necessary to address long-deferred maintenance and to ensure the school's sports programs have facilities that meet modern safety and competition standards.

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