The last of nine light poles went vertical Wednesday morning as lighting and turf upgrade work on the football, soccer and baseball fields continues.

Workers from Reynolds Electric Contractors, in coordination with Enterprise Electric, both out of Nashville, Tenn., will need to run power to the poles and perform other necessary preparations before anyone can throw a switch. But progress has been good so far.

Turf excavation preparation began late last week as workers were forming a concrete curb along the perimeter of the 94,000 square feet playing surface. During the turf preparation processes, according to Rusty Hollingsworth, director of athletics, about eight inches of soil will be removed and replaced by 4 inches of larger rock and 1 ½ inches of smaller rock. It will all be laser graded and a geo-textile material will be laid on top of the base that will allow water to permeate into the drainage system. A 12-inch tile will be set every 30 feet. Hollingsworth said the field is supposed to be able to sustain 10 inches of rain in one hour and still be playable.

Continuing progress on the field will be contingent upon the weather. So far this week most of the turf work has been relegated to setting the forms for the curb. Once that is complete, dirt removal can take place.

It is hoped that the upgrade will be complete enough for the spring football game to be played on the newly lighted and resurfaced field.
"We are excited about the possibility of having our lights and field in place for spring practice. This will be a huge benefit to us at a time when the field conditions and weather can be unpredictable," said football coach Perry Thomas. "Getting started in January will give us a great showcase area to take our recruits as they come on campus. This will get them excited about the growth happening here not only in the educational areas but also with our athletic facilities."

"We're very excited about the lights and we're looking forward to hosting some night games," said Beauford Sanders, baseball coach.

Sanders expects to play a game under the lights, but says he wants to make sure everything is right before he tries to find teams willing to change their schedule.

"Right now we have all day games on our schedule, but I'm confident that there are teams willing to play at night.," Sanders continued. "It will probably be late March or April, but it will be sometime this season."

More than 155 (157 to be exact) Musco Lighting System light fixtures have been attached to the poles. Each light has been constructed at a computerized designated angle to produce optimal lighting in every corner of each field, according to Doug Reynolds, lighting project coordinator. Reynolds said the football field will have 75 foot candles of constant light and the baseball field 70 foot candles in the infield and 50 in the outfield.

When asked to define foot candle in layman's terms, Reynolds said: "Well, let's just say it will be quite bright."

Reynolds also said that the system the university choose is a "green system" that is energy efficient and eliminates spillover light outside of the playing areas.

"This is a project that benefits so many people on our campus," said Hollingsworth. "Obviously it greatly benefits our football and soccer programs. It will also benefit the marching band, intramural sports and summer camps. The turf field could also allow us the ability to add new sports in the future."





EnviroTurf out of Jackson, Miss. is doing the field work. They are the NAIA-recognized turf vendor.

"We initiated a $1.2 million athletic fund-raising campaign back on September 25 and have many opportunities for individuals and businesses to become involved with this project," Hollingsworth continued.

For more information about the project, visit Campbellsvilletigers.com. A live Web cam will be available to view the fields' progress as work continues.