Light Poles Installed as Easton Field Renovation Progresses

By Purnell T. Cropper | July 11, 2012

The Easton Field renovation is now well on its way to completion, a few weeks after its June 20 groundbreaking. The turf playing surface installation is expected to wrap up in early August, but signs of what’s to come are already visible.

A new handicap-accessible ramp has been carved into the hillside adjacent to the field, and stone retaining walls are already in place. Additionally, recent construction has seen the assembly of the four light poles that will illuminate the playing surface and give the University its first nighttime contests.

The field itself has been excavated, removing more than two feet of dirt from the entire playing surface to allow for a state-of-the-art, in-ground drainage system. Plastic drainpipes have been installed, and the field is now in the process of being covered by stones, the first of many layers in the drainage system. The coming weeks will see the laying of the artificial fibers, along with multiple layers of silica sand and cryogenic rubber to ensure a safe, durable, and comfortable surface.

Field house construction is expected to begin shortly and will be completed in early fall. A portion of the building will be built on land that did not exist on the previous Easton Field, so field house construction is dependent upon the completion of a third retaining wall and subsequent backfilling of land.

Video by JoLynne Bremmer ’10 and Chris Macchi ’12 | Slideshow photos taken July 2 by Josh Blustein.