Purchases totaling over $2 million for new field turf and a new track surface at Rome Free Academy Stadium, plus student commendations for RFA’s academic Top 10 seniors, are among items before the Board of Education tonight.

The board’s 6:30 p.m. meeting today will be at RFA school, 95 Dart Circle, and can be seen on a virtual/remote basis using a Zoom link at https://E2CCB-GST.zoom.us/j/97785264399

Accommodations were made for a limited number of Top 10 honorees’ family members to also attend the session in-person, said board President Stephen P. Hampe. He added the meeting was relocated to RFA “expressly for the larger venue so social distancing protocols can be followed” due to COVID-19. He noted that in addition to being webcast via Zoom, the meeting will be livestreamed on the school district’s YouTube channel. On the agenda:

• Resolutions for commendations for the RFA academic Top 10 in order of grade-point average include valedictorian Erika Rizzo, salutatorian Nicolas Ferretti, Reilly O’Shaughnessy, Elena Amoroso, Ryan Nowak, Branden East, Jamie Fleck, Kelsey Rabe, Curtis Pilny and Miranda Libby. Rizzo and Ferretti had weighted averages of 102.38 and 101.42, respectively, while other students’ averages ranged from 100.29 to 98.52.

• Resolutions call for purchasing a turf field for $666,364 through a contract with FieldTurf USA, Inc. under the Keystone Purchasing Network; and a track athletic surface for $1,438,188 through a contract with Nagle Athletic Surfaces, Inc. under a Sourcewell Cooperative contract.

The resolutions note the purchases with related materials, supplies and installation services are in connection with a 2019 capital improvement project. School district voters in December approved an overall $14.2 million capital project referendum that included replacing RFA Stadium’s worn-out track and artificial turf among several other measures that also involved various repairs at RFA school plus energy-performance upgrades at most district schools.

State Education Department approval for the RFA Stadium turf and track replacement was recently granted, said Hampe. School district officials had said at the board’s April 21 meeting that state review and approval of project plans and documents were delayed a bit during the COVID-19 situation.