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MC installing new turf

ERIN O’NEILL The Marietta Times The Vasco Group was on site Thursday digging up dirt at the Marietta Field soccer complex at Marietta College.

The area around Don Drumm Stadium and Marietta Field on Greene Street will soon be sporting a new look, just in time for football season at both the collegiate and high school levels.

According to Tom Perry, Executive Director of Communication & Brand Management at Marietta College, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees in April unanimously approved the installation of new synthetic surfaces at both Don Drumm Stadium and Marietta Field.

The $1.2 million project has been under way since the approval, with dirt just recently starting to be moved around the soccer fields. The project at Don Drumm to replace the existing turf will begin Monday. Both projects are expected to be completed no later than Aug. 15. The Vasco Group out of Massillon and FieldTurf, based in Montreal, will be completing the projects, according to MC athletic director Larry Hiser. FieldTurf has more than 20,000 installations worldwide, including 6,500 in North America. The current playing surface at Don Drumm Stadium was installed in 2004.

“This is gigantic. The players are really looking forward to it,” he said. “We’re on a tight schedule but we’re working overtime to get this done.”

Marietta City Schools also uses Don Drumm Stadium for football and track, as well as events like the annual Band-O-Rama.

“This will be a benefit for us in that the surfaces will be state-of-the-art, have advanced technology and we are looking forward to those safety features that come with that,” said Will Hampton, superintendent of Marietta City Schools. “It’s a good thing for the college, and if it’s good for the college, it’s going to benefit us as well.”

It has not been decided if the high school will also utilize the college’s soccer fields. They currently play and practice in Devola. Hiser said that it’s not outside of the realm of possibility that some high school games could be played there.

“If they have that request, we will definitely consider it,” Hiser said.

Instead of going with a traditional green, Don Drumm will have a gray field with contrasting shades every five yards and the Marietta College Pioneer logo at midfield. The end zones will be navy blue with Marietta spelled out in white. Don Drumm will be marked for football and men’s lacrosse, and include temporary marks for women’s lacrosse and soccer.

Marietta Field will be navy blue with the Pioneer head logo at midfield. This field will be marked for soccer and women’s lacrosse, and include temporary marks for men’s lacrosse.

“We are excited to have this opportunity to improve our facilities and provide a playing experience unlike any other in the Ohio Athletic Conference,” said Marietta College President William Ruud.

“I am also thankful for the support we received from our board, and for all of the hard work that has been done by our coaches and other administrators to get us to this point.”

The Pioneers kick off the 2018 season at home against Geneva on Sept. 1 and will have home dates with Capital on Sept. 8, Ohio Northern on Sept. 29, Wilmington on Oct. 13 and Baldwin Wallace on Oct. 27.

The women’s soccer team opens the 2018 season at home against St. Vincent on Aug. 31 and also plays Pitt-Greensburg on Sept. 2. The men’s team doesn’t play a home game until Sept. 15 against Wooster.

Both lacrosse programs will also play on the new fields in 2018-19.

Timeline

¯ Board approves synthetic field: April 2018.

¯ Survey work begins: April 2018.

¯ Vasco starts removing dirt at the soccer complex: June 2018.

¯ Work to begin at Don Drumm: July 2.

¯ Don Drumm to be completed: Aug. 1.

¯ Marietta Field to be completed: Aug. 15.

Online

¯ View a live feed of the ongoing work on YouTube (search Marietta College turf)

¯ Web link: https://youtu.be/zdJGVp7vzVY

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