Miss Porter's School Athletic Field Improvements

The Miss Porter’s School campus, located in the historic district of Farmington, Connecticut, has only three athletic fields, all remote from the main campus. Home and visiting teams found it unsuitable to play on any of the fields due to the poor playing conditions. As a result, urgent improvements to all three fields were necessary.

The athletic facility designers at SMRT had to work under an incredibly tight schedule to complete the improvements. The project included the installation of new synthetic turf fields, support buildings, parking, utilities, ornamental fencing, stone walls, signage, and other landscape enrichments to respond to the historic character of each field’s setting. They also provided significant permitting services at both the state and local levels to maintain the project schedule. The construction phase was completed in one summer, allowing student-athletes to play without interruptions.

Client

Miss Porter's School

Location

Farmington, CT

Completion Year

2017

“SMRT demonstrated their commitment to design high quality and pleasing athletic venues. SMRT’s design team was exceptional in both listening to neighborhood and Town concerns and presenting clear, accurate, and timely responses. I appreciate the pride that SMRT took in our project and their commitment to the community.” — Michael Bergin Chief Financial & Operating Officer, Miss Porter’s School

The project included the renovation and reconstruction of Kiki's and Oaklea fields.

Kiki's Field consisted of two natural grass soccer lacrosse practice/game fields that were converted to two new synthetic fields. The project combined two fields into one field plane, increasing flexibility for multiple field operations.

The project design addressed challenges such as poor subsoils, adjacent wetland resources, existing drainage issues, and being in a highly developed historic district.