Date: Fri 18-Jul-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

football-NHS-Manfredonia-sod

Full Text:

Building Committee Said It Knew About No Football

BY STEVE BIGHAM

It came as a surprise to most people when they heard this week's news: No home

football games at Newtown High School this season.

But the members of the Public Site & Building Committee say they've known for

months. They apparently came to the consensus that the newly laid sod wouldn't

be ready for the 1997 football season way back in April.

"We discussed this a long time ago," said building committee chairman Frank

Krasnickas. "The football team scheduled football games there and we said, `No

way in hell are they going to play there.' We don't want to take a chance."

The building committee, which oversees all the municipal projects in town,

felt the field needed to be left alone at least until next spring.

Apparently, that opinion was not shared by school officials and the project

manager from O&G Industries. Last April, they were hailing the fact that the

stadium renovation work had gotten started two months early due to the mild

winter. Instead of the original completion date of August, they were talking

about a late June or early July wrap-up.

Those working on the field say the sod, to be laid in August, probably won't

be ready until late October or November. They blamed the delays on the slow

work done by Darien Asphalt.

NHS Principal Bill Manfredonia said he's hoping the Nighthawks can play a few

games on the field this fall. The Building Committee says no games at all.

However, two northeast sod companies reached this week by The Bee say the NHS

football field could be ready for the team's scheduled home opener against

Staples of Westport September 12.

"It takes two weeks for the sod to root, but if you want to play football on

it, you'd better wait 30 days," said Denise DuFour of Winding Brook Turf Farm,

Inc, in Wethersfield.

Sod expert Charlene Isabel at SODCO in Exeter, R.I., said the same. "About a

month. That should do it."

Board of Education Chairman Herb Rosenthal said he wants to make sure the

field is not ruined by rushing it into use. However, he said he understood how

important it is for NHS home football and would look into the matter.