UPDATE:  Since this story was published on August 29, a letter dated August 30 has been posted on the Branford High School website concering the field. See the full text of the letter at the bottom of this story.

Use of the newly-replaced artificial turf field at Branford High School (BHS) will be sidelined until at least the first of October, due to unanticipated work delays on installation of the new track around the field.

On August 24, Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez made note of the continued field closing during his remarks to staff at the district’s Opening Day Event (see related story here).

“We anticipate that work being done by the first of October,” said Hernandez. “I wish we had not had the delays, but we had them and we will deal with them.”

Hernandez extended his gratitude to the BHS Athletic Department, Principal Lee Panagoulias, the administrative staff and the Physical Education staff for being a group that, “...really needs to be flexible in the month of September, which is a tough month to be flexible in, “ adding “...in the long run, we will have a state of the art facility (and) we should be very, very grateful that we have that; but we do need to be a little bit patient.”

The BHS track and field was closed to the public this summer, with contractors arriving to start work in early June. The $750,000 replacement project was budgeted last year as a part of the Town of Branford’s five-year capital improvement plan.

The BHS track and field facility is located behind the school building at 185 East Main St.

BHS ATHLETIC TRACK AND FIELD UPDATE Posted 8/30/16 at www.branfordhigh.org from BHS Principal Lee Panagoulias, Jr. and BHS co-Athletic Directors  Jake Palluzzi and Savis Synodi:

"The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on the replacement of the Branford High School track and athletic field. The track portion of the project has presented challenges associated with the pavement underneath the original track. Adjustments

have also been made to the original plan with both end zones now being covered in turf and new curbing being installed along the inside perimeter of the track.

During this time period it is unwise for the district to provide access to turf prior to the track completion as the turf could be damaged, potentially jeopardizing the warranty. Based on this latest information, weather, unforeseen issues, and the challenge associated with the installation/pinning of the curbing, the project completion has been delayed, with a revised schedule calling for the project to be complete by October 1, 2016.

Fortunately, the Branford High School Athletic Department, in conjunction with building administration and cooperation from the Branford Park and Recreation Department, have been able to provide fields at Branford High School or in town for our athletic

teams to practice and compete, and our physical education classes to implement their Fall Curriculum during the month of September.

We greatly appreciate everyone's patience in this matter. We are confident that with the cooperation of parents and leadership of our coaching staff, we can provide a structure so that all of our student-athletes can have a have a successful Fall season. It will be

important for all of us to keep in mind that although we will all need to make adjustments for the coming month, the end result will be a high quality athletic track and turf that we can all be proud of.

If you have any more specific questions that have not been addressed by this letter, please contact our Athletic Department directly at (203) 315-6735.

Thank you and GO HORNETS!"