-- View of berm during 1st week of construction - - The following photos depict the current construction of the new South Street pitch at Middlebury College for men's soccer. Work on the field commenced on June 5, 2007 and is slated to be completed by August 26, 2007 - two days prior to the start of fall pre-season.
-- View of berm 1st week, closer image -- The new field will be one of the largest NESCAC Division III pitches in New England with a maximum allowable playing surface of 240' x 360' (80 yd x 120 yd); it will contain a 0.5% slope which is pretty much table-top flat...ideal for soccer!
-- View of berm 2nd week -- The series of photos that you are viewing show the initial removal of the topsoil (weeks 1 & 2), excavation of the sub-base materials in preparation for drainage (weeks 2 &3), and re-grading of the berm on the western slope of the field (weeks 3-6).
-- View of berm 2nd week, different perspective -- Following the removal of the top soil and sub-materials, the contractor commenced with re-grading the entire playing surface and preparing the grounds for drainage and utility conduits (weeks 3-4).
-- View of berm 2nd week -- The majority of the original topsoil that was removed from weeks 1-2 were either carted away to the College's soil depot or re-used to build up the western berm and the areas surrounding the pitch.
-- View of berm 3rd week -- After drainage pipes were installed, the contractor began to cover them with a permeable filter fabric, followed by crushed stones. You can see pictures of this process during weeks 4 and 5.
-- View of berm 3rd week -- This was a great week to bring your kids to watch all the bull-dozers, back-hoes, and pickup trucks at work. If you didn't have kids, this was also a great week for dogs and assorted pets to view and smell the action. Notice how they are getting ready to build out the berm.
-- View of berm and bleacher area, 4th week -- here is a better shot of the berm as the contractor begins to move earth and extend the slope. The electrical box near the bull-dozer gives viewers a sense of how high and steep the slope will be; compare this reference point to the first photo in this album to witness the change.
-- View of berm 5th week -- Most of the drainage pipes and crushed stones are in by the 5th week. The contractor begins to re-grade the playing surface and build out the concrete surround on the north western side of the field.
-- View of berm 5th week -- Make note of the berm in the next three photos and compare them to the first slide - closer to the field and steeper than what it used to be. Nice! What type of playing surface will be installed on this new field? Sometime during the third to fourth week of July, the contractor will be working with an approved turf vendor to install a synthetic/artificial surface on the newly graded and prepped surface.
-- View of berm 6th week -- The new state-of-the-art surface is essentially a very thick carpet that will be held in place by rubber and sand in-fill. The combination of materials replicate real grass in terms of speed-of-play, softness, and control.
-- View of berm 6th week, different angle -- ESPN's July broadcast of the Under 20 World Cup were all played on this type of artificial surface (Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Victoria).
-- View of berm 6th week, looking at spectator area -- The price tag for the new field is approximately $1.1M, of which $369,000 has been pledged from alumni, parents and friends of the Middlebury soccer program.
-- View of berm and spectator area 7th week -- We have been working hard to raise the remaining $731,000 and would like to hit this target in time for the Alumni Soccer Reunion Weekend that is scheduled for Saturday, September 8, 2007.
-- View of berm 7th week -- If you are interested in helping the men's soccer program reach its fund raising goal for the new field, please make a gift to Middlebury College and designate your contribution to the "Soccer Field Restoration Project".
-- Sunday sunset following 7th week of construction -- If you would like to consider a multi-year gift in support of this initiative, contact Hieu T. Nguyen '92, Senior Development Officer and lead fund raiser for soccer to discuss options. htnguyen@middlebury.edu (ph: 802-443-5740)
-- Sunday sunset following 7th week, farther back -- This year's Alumni Soccer Reunion is scheduled for Saturday, September 8th. The men's soccer team will also kick off their 2008 season at home on this date against Connecticut College.
-- View of berm 8th week -- Coincidentally, the Gordie Perine Alumni Golf Tournament is slated to take place on the same weekend as the Alumni Soccer Reunion.
-- View of berm 9th week --
-- Center field axis, 1st week -- As a result, why not plan for a long visit to Middlebury and head back to Vermont for September 7-9 to to take part in all of the festivities?
-- Center field axis, 2nd week -- Oh one more thing...don't forget to dust off those old boots, wash the faded kits and get ready for the alumni game following the men's match..
-- Center field axis, 3rd week -- OK, back to the photos...See the guy farthest left in this picture? His name is Mark Gleason. Mark is the College's project manager for the new field. He's the man...well, Erin Quinn is THE MAN, but we all know that already!
-- Center field axis, 5th week -- Almost done with covering the drainage pipes with crushed stones and permeable filter fabric.
-- Center field axis closer view, 6th week -- Notice the nice concrete wall surrounding the north and western edges of the field. This base will serve as good reinforcement for the pitch and a solid foundation for entry on to the playing surface by heavy equipment and players.
-- Center field axis, 6th week -- The same type of surround will be build on the remaining southern and eastern edges of the field.
-- Center field axis, 7th week -- You can see from this shot that the majority of the field has now been covered with crushed stones.
-- Center field axis, following 7th week -- The contractor will probably level the surface one last time before bringing in the artificial turf.
-- Center field axis closer view, 7th week --
-- Center field axis closer view, 8th week -- All of the crushed stones have been applied to the drainage layer for the new field by the middle of the eight week.
-- Center field axis, 8th week -- Contractors will begin the process of leveling the surface as well and installing the surrounding apron to the field.
-- View from center axis of the field, 9th week -- By the ninth week, contractors have finished leveling the drainage layer and installed an asphalt apron surrounding the new field. The next step will be to install the actual playing surface.
-- View of center field axis, close-up 9th week --
-- View of field looking towards south east corner, near Porter Hospital (3rd week) -- Another shot of "The Man" walking across the field with contractors. BTW, Mark is responsible for making sure that all technical details related to the field is up to the College's specifications.
-- View of field looking towards south east corner, near Porter Hospital (5th week) -- One significant change with the new field will be the placement of the team benches.
-- View of field looking towards Porter Hospital following 7th week -- Instead of having players, coaches and the scoring table located near the berm, the new location will be on the opposing side, closer to South Street, and away from the fans.
-- View of field looking towards Porter Hospital 8th week -- Ideally, we would like to have sheltered player's benches for both sides, but this option may have to wait until fund raising for the new pitch is completed.
-- View of field looking towards south east corner, near Porter Hospital (6th week) -- Another distinguishing feature of the new pitch is the fact that it will be lined solely for soccer.
-- View of field looking towards south east corner, near Porter Hospital (7th week) -- That's right no hash-marks for American football, field hockey, or lacrosse - just elegant white lines "tufted" into the carpet for the Beautiful Game.
-- Another view of the field towards Porter Hospital, taken after 7th week of construction -- What are "tufted" lines?
-- 8th week of construction, view towards South Street and Porter Hospital -- Instead of having to paint lines on the new surface, tufted lines are white fibers sown directly into the carpet; they do this at the factory and arrive at South Street ready to go.
-- View of field looking towards Porter Hospital, 9th week --
-- View of field looking towards South Street, 9th week --
-- View of field from north west corner looking towards Porter Hospital and South Street (5th week) -- When completed, this field will be one of the most beautiful and playable surfaces in New England for soccer.
-- View of field from north west corner looking towards Porter Hospital and South Street (6th week) -- Coach Saward will now be able to walk his recruits down to the South Street pitch and let them touch the field
-- Sunset view of field from north west corner towards Porter -- No more fly-bys from your car with prospective students, David!
-- View of field from north west corner looking towards Porter Hospital and South Street (7th week) -- -
-- Another sunset view for comparison --
View towards South Street and Porter 8th week --
-- View towards South Street and Porter Hospital 9th Week --
View of berm and bleacher area from the center field axis (7th week).
View of berm and bleacher area from the center field axis (7th week). Same shot as before, but paned more to the right side of the berm.
-- View of berm and bleacher area following 7th week -- Make note of the bleachers in the background compared to the next slide.
-- View of berm and bleacher area 8th week -- The concrete foundation was laid this week so that the spectator benches could be moved to it's final destination - above the berm and approximately 30 feet apart.
-- 9th Week and delivery of special sand for the in-fill -- The sand pictured here was trucked all the way from New Brunswick, Canada (600 miles away). I was told by one of the truckers that it's a special type of sand that can only be found in this region of North America.
-- 10th Week, August 8th to be exact -- The field installers arrived as scheduled and began the process of unrolling and configuring the pitch. More pictures to come, but here's a quick shot of the final process before the field can be ready for play. Notice the white line on the right side of the photo...this is midfield line and the origin point for all the other pieces to align with.
