A dream that began 11 years ago is coming to fruition as Holy Family is nearing completion of a multi-million dollar field renovation project.
The $4.5 million project includes several elements, such as the installation of a turf field and a new track around the field and other amenities for track and field. The project also has spectators in mind, with plans for 1,000 bleacher seats, bathrooms, concessions and a plaza and gates at the entrance.
“I think it’s going to be a complete game changer. We’re lucky to have enough grass fields that were taken care of and managed as well as they have been, but for a long time we’ve been in need of an upgrade,” athletic director Nick Tibesar said.
Conversation about redoing the field and surrounding area started in 2011. The school did not move forward on a project right away, but discussions continued and began to grow in 2017 when Holy Family reached out to an architect and started creating a vision of what the renovations would look like. Tibesar said the school created more concrete plans in 2019 and began to raise initial funds.
Having a grass field created challenges since teams would not be allowed to practice on it to keep it ready for games. Section tournament games for sports like soccer, moreover, sometimes had to be moved because of field conditions late in the fall. Turf provides the athletic program much more flexibility, and Tibesar hopes several teams will be able to take advantage of it.
“Now we’ll be taking the opposite approach. Now this thing is ‘Use it as much as possible,’ so I’m also excited to see that signature area of campus getting used more often,” he said.
According to Tibesar, construction was initially slated to begin in the spring. Once the fall sports season ended for the football and soccer teams, however, construction began in late-October in an attempt to get as much done to set up the rest of the renovation and avoid delays in the spring. The construction crew dug up all the dirt three inches deep, installed the drainage system and sand level for the turf and let it sit for the winter.
The renovation will pose problems for some spring sports teams, though. The track and field team will not host any meets, and any home games for the lacrosse teams will be played on grass fields behind the school.
Holy Family’s deadline for the project’s completion is July 31. Tibesar is hopeful that with the progress made in the fall it could be finished sooner so that teams can use it for training during the summer months.
The money for the renovation is being raised through capital campaigning. Tibesar said the school has shown the need for the renovations and has felt support from the community. Holy Family is still actively fundraising for the project.
Coming to the school and seeing the construction, Tibesar said he feels nothing but excitement. He looks forward to the opportunities it will bring athletes at Holy Family as well as members of the community.
“I think it’s just the student-experience perspective,” he said. “Being able to see our kids using this field, cheering each other on, packing the place. We’re really fortunate that when our teams play, our student body comes out in droves.”
He added: “The things I’m most excited about are kids getting to use it, number one, and then number two just as a community gathering space, kind of a rallying cry for Fire pride and all those kinds of things.”
