Scott Swanson
After four weeks of work, including significant contributions of equipment and time from local companies and individuals, the Sweet Home all-weather synthetic turf surface installation project at Husky Field is going “really well,” says Dustin Nichol, head football coach and general manager of the project.
Nichol has been on the field nearly daily, supervising a host of volunteers – when he hasn’t been operating equipment himself, in an effort to get the field ready for FieldTurf to install its XT-65 synthetic turf before fall sports begin.
A soccer game is scheduled on the field Tuesday, Sept. 1, and the home football opener is Friday, Sept. 4.
“We’re on the last phase of the project,” Nichol said Monday night, July 6, after students and other volunteers spent most of the day rolling out giant sheets of underlayment on the packed earth left after the removal of approximately 6,500 cubic yards of topsoil, and then installing drain pipe.
The weather has been a boon, he said.
“That has been a big catalyst for us to be ahead of everything. We started a week and a half earlier than we anticipated because of the weather. In one way, the weather has not been too much fun because of the heat, but as far as this project is concerned, it’s a godsend.
After laying drainage pipe on the underlayment Monday, the next step its to move in about 500 dump truck loads of rock in two phases.
“That’s where we are now,” Nichol said. “If things go well, as far as I can see, we should be done with our end of things by next Friday or close to it. We might be done with the rock about a week before we had it slated.”
Once the rock is in, Field Turf will install the carpet of artificial turf and the track will be resurfaced. Also, the high jump area, which has never been level, will be corrected and resurfaced.
Community support has been significant, both in volunteerism and finances.
The $1,4 million for the turf project is “completely covered now – paid for,” Nichol said, and donors have been picking up loose ends for the project – a scoreboard, equipment to clean and maintain the artificial turf, and more.
“We had some more donors come forward in the last 2½ weeks to put us over the top, as far as the turf is concerned,” he said. “We’ve been very up-front with each person. We’ve told them that the turf is paid for, but that their money will go to other things and we tell them what it is.
“We’ve been very blessed with a lot of people who see this as an opportunity for kids in the community. It’s amazing how people have stepped up.”
The district maintenance crew is working to freshen up the stands on the home and visitors sides.
“The district has put a lot more money into the facility,” Nichol said. “The thing is going to have a facelift. It wasn’t in bad shape before, but it’s going to be really nice. It’s going to be a lot better than it was before.”