Sean C. Morgan
A new sign is taking shape at Husky Field as Sweet Home School District staffers work on it between other projects, repairs and maintenance.
Last year, a new metal image of a Husky created by metals class students went up in the northeast corner of the field. Then-teacher Mike Tuller said then-senior Callie Baker combined images to create the Husky and then cut it out using a plasma cutter.
The sign is part of the artificial turf project at Husky Field, said Maintenance Supervisor Josh Darwood. Money was designated for the sign as part of the project.
The cost is about $6,000, said Business Manager Kevin Strong.
The district opened the donor-funded turf field in fall 2015.
The overall design was completed by Jeff Parker, then a member of the maintenance staff, and Darwood.
The display will include images of sports activities on the field and a plaque naming the donors, Strong said. The images are ready to install when the sign structure is complete.
Another sign displaying the words “Husky Field” above the image of the Husky will be completed by the metals class and installed this year, Darwood said.
District maintenance staff spent last week building forms for a concrete base.
The metal support poles will be clad in concrete stamped and painted to look like logs, Darwood said. Stamped concrete atop the base will resemble wooden planks.
“The sides will have a sand finish to them,” Darwood said.
Afterward, the district will complete a concrete pad and create a sort of courtyard around the sign, Darwood said. He has been thinking about how to arrange the box office and entrance around the new courtyard but hasn’t settled on a new layout.
Currently, that corner of the field serves as one of two major entrances to sporting events. Located next to 22nd Avenue, it has a turnstile entrance and a gate wide enough to allow in vehicles next to the ticket booth.
With upcoming projects looming, including the remodeling of the front office and entrance at Hawthorne Elementary School along with summer maintenance, “it’s going to be a work in progress for a little bit here,” Darwood said. The district starts on Hawthorne as soon as the school year ends next month.