Newtown High School’s Blue & Gold Stadium has a brand new playing surface thanks to a major summertime renovation that is part of the Board of Education’s capital improvement plan. A new track and repainted bleachers are also part of the project, which will give the complex an upgrade and fresh look for the 2021-22 school year. The project is expected to be completed by August 21.

Bob Gerbert, PE, director of facilities for Newtown Public Schools, said the turf replacement cost $500,324; the track surface, $171,361; and the bleacher painting, $32,700.

What’s more, a large video scoreboard will replace the one installed in 2014; it will be paid for with $5,250 from the Blue & Gold Booster Club and donations from area businesses, Newtown High Athletic Director Matt Memoli said the cost of the equipment was not available, but that, thanks to those donations, the project will not require money from the school budget.

“We’re very lucky to have that support,” he added.

“We think we have one of the best stadiums in the state and this adds to it, certainly,” said Marc Kenney, coach of the NHS girls’ soccer team, of the video board. “I think it’s going to be awesome. It’s going to add another level and layer to the atmosphere. I think Matt Memoli’s done an amazing job of organizing this and finding a way to pay for it.”

Turf work began in late June with removal of the old surface. The new turf was put into place throughout the month of July. Workers from the company Field Turf weathered the heat to roll out sections of the field, which came with some of the multi-purpose field markings, such as sidelines, end lines, and football yard lines. Field Turf employees cut out spots for many of the other markings such as the football field numbers and arched lines for lacrosse and field hockey. They applied numbers, various colored strips, and the Nighthawk logo, among other field markings, with what Field Turf worker Daniel Prouls described as “an industrial arts and crafts machine” (Hot Melt Technologies equipment).

The video scoreboard measures more than 25 feet wide by more than ten feet tall and has the ability to project graphics and videos. Football Coach Bobby Pattison said this will create a better experience for fans and players while also giving students new extracurricular opportunities. Pattison described the potential at Blue & Gold Stadium as “cutting edge,” with live feed capabilities and the possibility of a student sideline reporter, for example.

“I think it’s going to be a great overall experience for all sports,” Pattison said.

“It’s really going to take our facility and the events we host to another level,” Memoli added.

Newtown High has hosted South-West Conference and state tournament games not involving Newtown, and the addition of the video board could lead to NHS hosting even more outside sporting events. Memoli envisions the possibility of a graduation on the field in which each graduate will be seen up close on the screen, and for students from the elementary and middle schools to be recognized on the board for special events, for example. “The possibilities are endless,” he said.

The walkway above the bleachers was dug up to run wires for the new board, which went up on August 2. Memoli said this was done first to keep the new track surface from being damaged. Bridgeport-based ABC Sign Corporation installed the video scoreboard and is also providing Hawley School with a new scoreboard for use by the town’s youth teams as part of the project. The old Blue & Gold Stadium scoreboard was intended for use at Hawley, but it could not be moved from one location to the other.

The field and track surfaces will be a nice upgrade after serving NHS athletes well for a decade. The old turf had replaced natural grass following the 2008-09 school year, during the fall of 2010; Newtown’s football team opened the first turf field on November 24, 2010, Thanksgiving Eve, against Masuk of Monroe— after playing all its games away from home while the renovation unfolded and delays cropped up.

Memoli said advancements in technology since the last field redo should give this new playing surface longer life. If properly maintained, the teams could get 15 or so years out of it, said Memoli, adding that grooming equipment will be used to remove debris and evenly distribute the rubber particles used on turf fields.

Pieces of the old track had broken off and patch repairs kept it going throughout the years. The turf became worn and matted down.

“It was time for both the field and track. We got as much use out of that as possible,” Memoli said. “I think it’s going to make a huge difference.”

Kenney said the beaten-down playing surface changed how soccer was played.

“Balls you want to play into space are now going out of bounds,” said Kenney, adding that the new surface will make for a more controlled pace of play.

Newtown teams play some home games at Treadwell Park, but Blue & Gold hosts most of the girls’ and boys’ soccer and field hockey home games, along with all of the football action in the fall; and girls’ and boys’ lacrosse and track and field athletes in the spring. Additionally, the band and color guard and physical education classes use the field, and the track is enjoyed by community members when not in use by the high school.

In recent years, Newtown has strayed from a canary yellow color toward a more subtle, somewhat muted hue called Vegas gold. The old end zones were blue; the new ones feature that Vegas gold, and the center field logo features an updated Nighthawk like the one teams have had on uniforms in recent years.

Newtown’s high school football team played modified 7-on-7 football last fall thanks to coronavirus-related precautions. If all goes as planned, the football team will scrimmage with Greenwich on Saturday, August 28 (time to be determined). The regular season kicks off when Pomperaug of Southbury visits on Friday, September 10, at 7 pm.

The girls’ soccer and field hockey teams will play their first games on the new turf on Saturday, September 11, at 1 pm and 4 pm, respectively, and the boys’ soccer team will have its first Blue & Gold Stadium contest under the lights on Friday, September 17, at 6 pm.

Memoli is appreciative of the support from the Blue & Gold Booster Club as well as area businesses, and thrilled about the overall stadium upgrade.

“It’s so exciting for everyone — the whole community,” Memoli added. “As an AD, former coach, and Newtown resident, I’m really pumped about it. I think our kids and coaches deserve to have the best facilities. I really think it is a win for everyone.”

Newtown’s athletic director added that this project has been a collaborative effort from the town, the Board of Education, the Parks & Recreation Department, businesses, and the community/taxpayers.

“It’s been so great to see everyone working together,” he said.

Memoli asks students interested in becoming involved with operating the video board to e-mail him at memolim@newtown.k12.ct.us.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.