By Josh LaBrosse
A new year of Oliver Ames sports is already underway. With fall sports already at their halfway point of the season, many of OA’s best are ready to take the field on the newly constructed turf and track for the upcoming season. This year, all outdoor sports teams will compete on a newly refurbished turf and repaired track.
Bill Matthews, the athletic director, had a huge role in managing in replacing the turf and track. “Both the track and the turf were slowly degrading and getting worse over the past few years. Replacing both in a timely manner was necessary to save money and create a safe playing environment for all athletes,” said Matthews. He stated that the turf and track over the last few years have been damaged by constant use, degradation, and long term damage from UV rays from the sun.
Although the project had looked solid and feasible to accomplish, there were many challenges that Matthews and others working on the project faced. The major adversity the project faced was funding and resistance from the community due to the proposal of using artificial turf.
The total costs included funds from community preservation act funding, private funding, as well as town capital and money from the school budget, added up to about $765,500. But, this funding did not come easily, with many people at town meetings against the new turf due to possible health and safety concerns of using an artificial surface. However, over time there was little opposition against the proposal which ultimately meant the project could begin. The project took many months to complete and experienced a few delays along the way. The turf and track was finally completed around early September.
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The new turf gives Muscato stadium a sharper and fresher look that excites all of us. If the new turf can help bring OA sports to the next level, all of the investment put into it will surely be worth it in the near future.