For many years, South Windsor High School has gone without new tennis and pickleball courts, sufficient parking lots and a lighted field. There has been a push for these amenities in the past, and the project will be voted on for the first time during the upcoming week.
On Tuesday, November 4th, pieces of this issue will be voted on. In anticipation of the election, the South Windsor officials released a sample ballot, with what will appear on this year’s ballot, specifically a section containing 5 “yes or no” questions regarding resident input on the town’s spending proposals.
Residents may believe this is their opportunity to vote on the previously proposed referendum, applying to both the athletic facility improvements (pickleball/tennis courts and lighted field) as well as new parking/entrances to the high school. However, the ballot only accounts for the proposed changes to pickleball, tennis courts and parking arrangementsThe question listed below will be presented to town residents on Tuesday via a ballot format.
“Shall the $2,150,000 appropriation and bond authorization for the design, acquisition, installation, construction, equipping and furnishing of campus improvements and new athletic facilities at South Windsor High School be approved?”
Information regarding what changes will be made, assuming the project is passed, was posted on the Town of South Windsor website as an explanatory text mailer to South Windsor residents on September 18th, 2025. The proposed project consists of new tennis courts, pickleball courts, and parking improvements within South Windsor High School, but shows no mention of a lighted field.
The document states “The proposed project allows for 7 replacement tennis courts in a new location that is accessible and ADA compliant. If approved, the new tennis courts would be utilized by physical education classes, the high school tennis team and the entire community.”
In addition to the courts, “adjacent to the tennis courts on Nevers Road and near the Community Center, the project proposes the addition of four (4) pickleball courts. If approved, the pickleball courts would be used by the high school students and the entire community,” according to the mailer.
$2,150,000 is proposed to accommodate these needs; however, residents should be aware of the fact that a lighted field is not included in the proposed project.
“The explanatory text mailer was lengthy and vague at the same time leaving you with more questions than you had before you read it,” South Windsor resident Kevin Quinn said.
Voters have been waiting to vote on this referendum since January of 2024 when it was postponed and has received attention from numerous media outlets.
