Photo courtesy of facilities planning and management.
A large team from Iowa Athletic Field Construction Co., Webster City; and Con-Struct, Ames, installed 250,000 square feet of sod -- more than 5.5 acres -- last weekend on the western half of the new recreation fields adjacent to the Maple Willow Larch residence complex. Construction manager Mike Parsons, facilities planning and management, reports that work to extend electricity to the new lights and scoreboards also is wrapping up.
The east half of the field will be seeded in August, in time for the fall growing season. Recreation services' assistant manager for facilities and grounds Brent Cunningham said the hope is to use the east half in late spring or early summer 2019. If the sod grows in steadily over the next few months, he said student intramural teams should be able to play on the west half in September and October. The field design includes an irrigation system, which will make both sod and seed growth more reliable.
