In an apparent reversal of sentiments expressed at the previous high school committee meeting, the facilities subcommittee revisited the high school track issue last Thursday and decided to recommend that the project be prioritized.

The track, which was condemned by state authorities for being unsafe, was resurfaced last fall as a temporary fix. It is now usable for an estimated three years.

Some high school committee members had previously expressed a preference for creating a plan to overhaul the entire campus before addressing issues with the track.

“I think that having a master plan is something we all agree needs to happen, but I don’t think that moving forward on a master plan has to be done at the expense of the track,” committee member Amy Houghton said at the meeting last week.

Terry Donahue, originally a founding member of MV@Play, a proponent of artificial turf fields, has reportedly recently approached the facilities subcommittee to talk about improving the track again. Mr. Donahue was also expected to speak with Mark Friedman, the school’s finance manager, about the possibility of forming a public private partnership to be able to accept donations for the track though the formation of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Reached by phone, Mr. Donahue confirmed he had approached the subcommittee.

“We are perfectly willing to come back in and help, but [committee members] have to figure out how to proceed,” he said.

Track and cross country coach Joe Schroeder attended the facilities meeting and said he would be in favor of implementing the renovation plan originally commissioned by MV@Play and prepared by Gale Associates. That plan recommends a turf infield.

“That is a plan that is extremely streamlined,” he said. “I’ve been to a lot of tracks in my years... It’s a great design.”

The facilities subcommittee ultimately voted to recommend that the high school move forward independently of other projects to fund the track. The high school committee is scheduled to meet April 2.