North Allegheny board OKs work to add turf, lights to intermediate high school field

The North Allegheny School Board has taken a step toward improving playing conditions for its sports teams by agreeing to resurface the field at the intermediate high school with artificial turf and add lighting.

In February the board considered a series of options to add turf and lighting to two fields at NAI that range in price from about $1.96 million to $8.1 million.

The board on March 20 selected the lowest-priced option, which will provide turf and lighting on the oval field as well as lighting to improve safety in the bus parking lots.

The lack of lighted fields covered in quick-draining artificial turf has made it difficult to schedule practices for the district’s teams,which frequently have to rent turf fields to get sufficient practice time.

Competition to use the turf field at Newman Stadium Stadium also regularly leads to practices that run late into the evening.

The board voted 7-2 to award a $1.6 million contract for site work and installation of the turf to Palumbo Landscaping; and a contract for $309,900 to A-1 Electric for the electrical portion of the work.

Voting to award the contracts were board members Richard McClure, Christopher Disque, Andrew Chomos, Kevin Mahler, Michael Meyer, Allyson Minton and Scott Russell. Board members Libby Blackburn and Christopher Finley voted against the measure.