An artificial grass field

Two months after Town Meeting voters said "yes" to an artificial grass field at the new Tewksbury Memorial High School, the state said "no" to funding one.

A natural-grass field originally was intended for the site, and it's back to that plan now that the state's Division of Conservation Services rejected Tewksbury's application for a grant under the Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities program.

A measure approved 204- 36 at October's Special Town Meeting called for $750,000 to be spent on construction of an all-purpose artificial turf field, but only if the town first won a PARC grant.

The town hoped to receive $400,000 from the highly competitive grant program, to supplement $50,000 privately raised for an athletic complex. The remaining $300,000 would have been furnished by the town.

The language of the warrant article specified that no municipal money could be expended on the artificial-turf project if the grant fell through. In building plans for the new high school, which opened this past fall, funds were budgeted for a grass athletic field.

Board of Selectmen Chairman David Gay said he is unaware of any plans by town government to explore other potential avenues of funding.