Ground-breaking today for turf at new Boardman stadium

BOARDMAN

Students, coaches, school and booster club officials and donors gathered at Spartan Stadium Friday for a groundbreaking ceremony for the turf section of the new stadium.

The ceremony was at the current practice field for the football team that sits on the campus of Boardman High School.

Bill Bonte, the booster club president, said the stands and field were built 20 years ago “with a stadium in mind.”

Bonte, a booster club member for 20 years, said the artificial turf section alone will cost $350,000. The overall cost of the turf project including installation is nearly $700,000.

United Civil Contractors of Hubbard will do the installation and the completion is expected sometime between mid-August and the beginning of September.

The overall project will total $3.7 million to replace the 1930s-built stadium located off Market Street behind Center Middle School.

Tim Saxton, director of operations for Boardman schools, said the stadium is part of their goal to turn Boardman into more of a college campus atmosphere, with all the schools at one location with the stadiums there as well. The new football stadium will sit between tennis courts and a baseball field.

Read more about the project in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.