By Linda Conner Lambeck

WESTPORT — The Board of Education has voted to ask town officials for $439,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to build obstacle courses at its two middle schools.

The unanimous 6-0 vote Monday came less than two months after the board requested $63,200 from the same pandemic-relief funding to create an outdoor challenge course at Staples High School.

In both cases, the request comes after the town Board of Finance invited school officials to suggest ways to use a portion of the $8.4 million allotted to the town by the federal government.

Bedford Middle School Principal Adam Rosen told the board the proposed FitCore Extreme Playground would benefit all middle schoolers in the district.

“Kids go outside every day for recess,” he said, noting there are six recess waves at Bedford. 

Both middle schools now have basketball and Foursquare courts. 

Rosen said he and his counterpart, Coleytown Middle Principal Kris Szabo, scouted both their somewhat limited school properties to map potential locations for both the obstacle courses as well as benches for outdoor seating.

The selected equipment — about seven or eight stations per school — would be age-appropriate and American Disabilities Act accessible, said Anthony Buono, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. 

The circuit exercising facilities could also be made available to the community after school lets out, Buono added.

The Bedford course would cost $222,000 because it would require fencing in addition to the equipment, site work, installation and surfacing. 

The Coleytown budget would be $217,000.

“To be clear, the vote is to present this to the funding bodies,” board Chairwoman Lee Goldstein said when the vote was taken.

The school board has COVID relief funds of its own, which helped offset its operating budget.

Giving back PAL Clubhouse

In separate action Monday, the board voted to return a Police Athletic League Clubhouse located adjacent to the Saugatuck Elementary School complex back to the town’s control effective in July.

A long-term lease of the property has expired, and the district has no use for the facility. The PAL organization plans to continue upkeep of the facility, the board was told.

The approval was 5-0 with one abstention. Vice Chairwoman Liz Heyer, on the PAL board, abstained.

Bedford, Staples paving

The school board also agreed to a town/school board paving collaboration this summer that will include several areas at Bedford Middle and Staples High schools. 

Although the paving projects are estimated to cost $1.3 million, about $500,000 will be covered from a 2021 appropriation.