NESPA Winner: Feature story, 2023

The Harbinger, Algonquin Regional High School, Northborough, MA

With a cracked and crumbling track, muddy fields, spotty lighting and stands that not all fans can access, while Algonquin has a proud athletic tradition, many coaches and athletes dream of facilities they can be proud of, too.

A highly anticipated $7.5 million proposal for an outdoor athletic complex renovation, nicknamed the “Gonkplex,” seeks to bring sweeping changes to Algonquin athletics.

Approval for funding of the Gonkplex project’s construction will be determined this spring after votes at Northborough and Southborough town meetings. If the project passes in both towns, construction could begin at the end of this school year.

The Athletic Complex Project Committee began its early planning stages in the spring of 2022 after ten years of community discussion of updated facilities, including a turf field. The committee is currently working towards receiving funding approval from the towns of Northborough (approximately $4.7 million) and Southborough (approximately $2.8 million) in order to begin construction. Most elements of the current complex are aging or have already surpassed their expected lifespans. Additionally, the stadium’s spectator stands are not handicap accessible.

“Our facility has served us really well, and we got a lot of really great usage out of it, and we have a lot of great memories as a result of the service it provided,” Principal Sean Bevan said. “But it’s at the end of its useful life, and so now we want to make sure we have an athletic complex that meets our high standards and the needs of our students; that’s both for our athletics program students, but also our physical education classes and for community members.”

Read the full story here.