Bethel officials have signed off on a bid waiver for Bethel High School track resurfacing.  The $135,000 will come from the Capital Non-Recurring Account.  The Board of Selectmen approved the move earlier this month and forwarded it to the Board of Finance.  That group gave the OK at their meeting on Tuesday.

Park and Recreation Director Eileen Earle says the company will try to squeeze Bethel in this August to get the work done before school opens.  There is a longer summer work season in Bethel because of renovations at Rockwell and Johnson schools.  If the town selected another company, they may have had to wait until October.  The selected New York-based company is the same one that installed the original track.  Earle says they probably got 2 to 3 extra years because of the quality of the company's work.

Selectman Straiton expressed concern about waiving the bid.  When the town put out a request for bids a few years ago for a comprehensive track and field proposal, the track resurfacing bids came in around the same price.  The selected company has held the price over the last couple of years since the RFP was issued.

Safety and other contingencies are in place to protect the track.  The district has two tarps to protect the surface, no cleats are allowed on the field and a netting system stops balls from getting into the track area.