The Fall River School District’s new 26-acre athletic complex is starting to take shape, with ground for a practice soccer field being leveled and grass seed being planted earlier this week.

Fall River Pirate Foundation treasurer Doug Waterworth was out working on the field, located on Prairie Street, on Tuesday, as a finish grader from Tri-County Paving of DeForest was leveling off the 360-foot-by-190-foot field.

“He’s using a laser level to get the field as flat as a pool table,” Waterworth said.

Initial excavating had been done in June by Corex Excavation and Construction of Sun Prairie, and grass seed was planted on Wednesday by Mark Schmidt Landscaping of Rio, with the seed being given to the foundation at cost by John O’Brion of O’Brion Agri Services of Madison, a Fall River alumni.

It generally takes two or three seasons before grass is established enough to withstand the wear and tear of a soccer game, Waterworth said. He’s hoping the field will be ready to play on by the fall of 2016.

Next on the docket for the complex is a walking path that will encircle the entire facility. A wetland delineation study had been completed in July, determining where the path can be located, and Waterworth said he expects that work on the path can start in November or December.

Plans for the complex also include a football field, track, 250-seat bleachers with press box, concession, restroom, storage building, team rooms, three little league/softball fields, a baseball field and parking lot.

“We’re building this for the next 30 or 40 years – not just to get us by,” Waterworth said.

The Pirate Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Fall River community. Its primary goal is to raise funds necessary to construct the new athletic complex for the school on land the district purchased in 2012.

 

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