By Kim J. Harmon

A little more than seven years ago the Newtown High School Blue & Gold Booster Club undertook a massive fundraising effort to bring lights and a new concession stand to the former Bruce Jenner Stadium.

Now the Blue & Gold wants to take it a step further – a $1 million revitalization plan that would include a rubberized synthetic stadium field (with improved drainage and field longevity), new bleachers to seat 500 visitors, a new building with more restrooms and flexible storage, a newly-defined entry focal point to create order and function, a new patio area for social functions, new storage area (at least 1,000 square feet) and new storage and restrooms on the back fields.

And the fundraising effort will begin Labor Day weekend.

“I think the biggest reason (for the plan) is the under-utilization of the stadium field,” said Dan Barrett, president of the Blue & Gold Booster Club. “Only some varsity teams play on the field now while no sub-varsity or youth sports teams use the field. Doing this will change all of that.”

The biggest phase of the plan would be the synthetic field – similar to the ones popping up at schools all across the state and much like the one all set to be installed at Treadwell Park. While the grounds crew (led by Carl Samuelson) has helped turn Blue & Gold Stadium into one of the best surfaces in the South-West Conference, the rubberized synthetic field would save a lot in maintenance costs – from the mowing to re-lining (a synthetic field would be permanently lined for all the sports that would be utilizing the field) and re-seeding.

Besides the punishment the field receives from five or six football games a fall, there are a number of soccer games, field hockey games and lacrosse games that take place in the stadium bowl. Add to that the annual Grasso Music Festival and the Relay For Life event.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be some maintenance costs involved.

“Our plan,” said Mr Barrett, who plans on having a 3-by-4 piece of turf available for inspection at the Newtown High Open House in September, “would be to set aside a minimum of $5,000 annually, in a separate fund, for turf replacement.”

Next to the Snack Shack, the plan would be to build a new restroom building (about 600 square feet, accommodating six people each) which would include a small flexible storage room (about 130 square feet). These two buildings would then help create the new focal entry point featuring custom and personalized pillars and bricks.

Besides the customized bricks (similar to those that helped fund the expansion at The Cyrenius Booth Library) there will be a number of creative ways local residents and business people can help fund the project. All of these (including the more involved BLUE and GOLD donation levels) will be out-lined in extensive mailings and on a new web site being constructed by the club – www.nhsblueandgold.com.

“Anyone who has helped us on anything associated with the field,” said Mr Barrett, “it will be known with a plaque on our Wall of Fame.”

The committee – which will be marching in the Labor Day Parade – leading this massive undertaking includes Dan and Pat Barrett, Jim and Kristy Regan, Joanne Shpunt (secretary), Laurel Butler (vice-president), Janis Solheim (treasurer) and Steve Gleason. But more people are certainly welcome to join the effort.

The goal – and Mr Barrett admits, “This is where the insanity kicks in” – is to have the money in and everything installed by September of 2006. That might seem like a very small window to some, but Mr Barrett and the Blue & Gold Committee seem even more driven to provide the Newtown community with an athletic centerpiece.