BRUNSWICK

As the Brunswick track continues to disintegrate, the school facilities committee agrees that an answer to a new $850,000 facility needs to be made sooner rather than later.

Town Councilor Dave Watson proposed that funding responsibility could be a shared proposition between the municipal budget, school department and recreation department. Also, Watson is optimistic a large portion of the price tag can be gleaned from local donations.

Furthermore, Watson says a top-notch facility can actually bring money back into the community.

Superintendent Paul Perzanoski said it may be possible, regardless of how divided the funding occurs, to roll the school department’s share into upcoming bonds to repair the junior high and build a new elementary school.

“My fear is we’ll talk about how we’re going to do this and time’s going to go by — it’s not going to be fixed, the facility’s not going to be used and then our timing’s going to go by as far as tying it into the bond,” Perzanoski said.

The deadline for putting track funding into that bond would come this December. The committee agreed they would have a decision whether they would seek to roll the track into the bond or not by their September meeting.

“There has to be a new philosophy between the town and the school department as how these athletic facilities are used and administered,” Watson said, saying they belong to neither body but to the people of the town.

Watson, who was a Brunswick police officer at the time the first track was constructed, said he believes the track was initially privately funded solely through donations.

Watson said he’s already been approached by citizens who want to donate to a new facility.

One of the many features in the newly designed facility is an eight-lane track with two straightaways. This feature, Watson said, creates an “economic engine” because it will be an attractive venue for championship meets.

The design allows for either male and female athletes to run heats concurrently on opposite sides of the track or to have one side for sprints and the other set up for hurdles. A more efficient track design makes the venue more attractive for large-scale events.

Also key, the track surface will extend into the infield on the corners, creating “D” patterns at each end, providing a stable approach surface for high jumpers as well as a warm-up area for football and lacrosse players. Other improvements include drains around the track and a catchment system for long jump sand.

Watson said he’s worked with Recreation Department Director Tom Farrell in approaching the school department to make the new facility a reality.

After what Watson said were several meetings between himself, Farrell and the school department, the school department had drawings developed by Huntress Associates, a company who specializes in sports fields and has numerous New England high schools, colleges and universities in its portfolio.

It’s this caliber of sports field, Watson said, that will bring a return to the town on its investment, making it a venue for state, national and international competition.