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Veterans Stadium
to be Ready May 20th I want all Lawrencians to save the date of Saturday, May 20, 2006. That’s the day when the city can come together and celebrate the completion of our newly restored Veterans Memorial Stadium. This fabulous project is certainly much more than a simple renovation and at a cost of $7 million has many new features that will be sure to impress residents and visitors alike. Built to honor our veterans, the old stadium was short on monuments or patriotic symbolism of any kind. The new and improved stadium will feature many flags including an illuminated flagpole, wrought iron gates in the shape of waving American flags, and obelisks dedicated to the different branches of the service. There will also be a courtyard area that will be perfect for award presentations. The old ramp system has been replaced with steel staircases and landings, and new handicap accessible sections have been added in the front row for the length of the field. The underside of the grandstand has been resurfaced with light reflecting paint and a new well-lit promenade with opening to a centralized food court will feature multiple foodstand choices. There will be a bid in the next month and we expect a lot of vendors will compete for these locations. Fans will enter and exit their seating through twelve entryways because we have actually widened the field to accommodate soccer and field hockey. One of the most dramatic changes is the installation of artificial field turf surrounded by a new state-of-the-art rubberized running track. This new surface can take a lot of wear and tear and will provide for a lot more activity that a natural surface just couldn’t accommodate. The track’s new visitors side bleachers and some ornamental fencing will be funded through the new Lawrence High School construction project and the whole facility will dovetail nicely with the campus-like high school. The primary users of the stadium will still be the Lawrence High Lancers, the Central Catholic Red Raiders and the Lawrence Cop Minor League. However, this beautiful new stadium is already causing quite a stir and the inquiries have been coming in to host a multitude of events. Located at the intersection of Rte. 495 and Rte. 114, and only a short distance from our new transportation center, the location offers easy accessibility to the third largest outdoor arena in the state. Parking will still pose a bit of a problem, but we are working on several options which might include cross-promotions and shuttle buses to available lots. Michael
Sullivan is serving his fifth year as mayor of Lawrence
and was just elected to his second term. You can email
his office with comments and questions at: N_Carroll@cityoflawrence.comch. *Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com |