Merrill's Jay Stadium updates nearly ready

MERRILL - Football and soccer players in the Merrill Area Public Schools have new turf to play on at the high school's Jay Stadium, and phase one of the stadium's renovation will be done in time for the Oct. 1 homecoming game.

Crews are wrapping up about $2.7 million in improvements to the high school's football field. Professional-grade turf has replaced uneven grass, and the track will be ground down and resurfaced, said Dale Bergman, the district's building and grounds supervisor.

Bergman and other school officials have enjoyed watching plans for the stadium come to fruition, and it's obviously a new source of pride for many.

"It has been wonderful," Bergman said. "I cannot express enough gratitude to the people supporting the project."

That list of supporters includes the School Board, donors and community members, he said. "Each one carried a different piece of the pie."

Donors paid for the lion's share of the project. The Bierman Family Foundation donated $2 million toward the renovation.

The School Board contributed about $180,000, because that's what the district needed to pay anyway to improve the sod on the field, Bergman said.

There's still more fundraising to do. The second phase of the project could start in spring and will cost another half million dollars. That phase includes a new building for concessions and bathrooms off a plaza completed in the first phase.

VIDEO:Watch a time-lapse video of the turf installation

RELATED: Jay Stadium getting upgrade

The first phase included a new scoreboard, new fencing, new ticket booth, artificial turf on the field, a new set of bleachers for 600 and an enclosure around the existing bleachers which seat 1,500.

"We'd love to have it filled on homecoming," Bergman said. "Well, every night we'd like to have it full."

Construction started in June and crews are still working on the location for shot put and discus events, and the space for other track and field events. An arch over the new ticket booth and the coloring on a cement version of the logo won't be done until closer to homecoming to maximize the drama of their unveiling.

Superintendent John Sample said it's been "fantastic" to watch the project progress almost daily through the summer. It was especially exciting to see the football team practice on it for the first time in late August, Sample said.

District officials have been working on the stadium for about a year and a half, Sample estimated. Merrill isn't hosting any playoff games or tournaments this fall, because officials weren't sure if the field would be ready in time, Bergman said.

Now that the major improvements are in place, the district is starting to talk about renting it out to semi-professional teams and community groups. The district's Facilities Committee directed Bergman on Wednesday to start working out how much the district spends to keep up the stadium per hour or event.

"We’re not in the business of making money," Bergman said. "We’re in the business to stay solvent."

Merrill hosted a wrestling tournament a few years ago and figured it cost the district $135 an hour in utilities and staffing.

Community members are welcome to use the track when the gates are open though the hours are still in flux.

"Our goal is not to exclude anybody that wants to to use it," Bergman said.

Nora G. Hertel: nora.hertel@gannettwisconsin.com or 715-845-0665; on Twitter @nghertel.