The Waterbury Times|Nov 9, 2026

WATERBURY — More than five years after Connecticut approved $3 million in state funding for improvements to the Wilby High School athletic field, and months after Waterbury approved a professional services agreement for the project’s design, The Waterbury Times is seeking answers about where the long-awaited reconstruction stands.

The question is straightforward: What is happening with the Wilby football field, and when can the school community expect to see construction begin?

The project has seen several steps forward in recent years, but a clear public timeline for its completion remains a central question.

In August, The Waterbury Times reported that the Board of Aldermen had approved a $223,790 professional services agreement with BSC Group for design services connected to the Wilby High School Football Field Reconstruction Project.

Since then, the project has continued to appear in Waterbury Public Schools’ Building and School Facilities Committee materials.

Records from an Oct. 13 committee meeting reference an update on the Wilby athletic field improvements and design drawings prepared by BSC Group. An Oct. 28 agenda packet included additional project graphics and site plans dated Oct. 22.

Those documents indicate that design work is progressing. They do not, by themselves, establish when the design phase will be completed, when construction will go out to bid, or when work will begin.

The city’s April 2026 design solicitation described the base project as a reconstruction of the existing football field, including drainage improvements, fencing and a new field. Additional features—including synthetic turf, a running track, bleachers, a press box, a scoreboard, irrigation and bathrooms—were listed as optional design alternates.

That distinction matters. The original state funding approved in 2021 was for a synthetic football field and an eight-lane track. The current design documents and solicitation leave questions about which features will ultimately be included in the project.

The Waterbury Times is seeking an update from city and school officials on the current design status, the final scope of work, the funding available for construction, and the anticipated schedule for moving from design to construction.

Wilby students, athletes and the surrounding community have waited years for improvements to a field that has faced persistent drainage problems. The school’s football program has had to use an alternative location for home games.

The project has moved through funding, procurement and design approvals. The community deserves to know what comes next.

The Waterbury Times will continue following the project and will update this report as additional information becomes available.

Wilby Football Field Project Approved — But Community Still Waiting for a Timeline