Inter-Lakes Middle High School athletic field to be lit by July

MEREDITH — The dream of a group of grandparents, students and other members of the Inter-Lakes school community, will become a reality this summer, with permanent lights to be installed at the Charles W. Burrows Athletic Field by the end of July.

“It’s exciting,” Inter-Lakes Superintendent Mary Moriarty said. “This is going to be an incredible asset for our students and the community as we move forward.”

Voters at the school district meeting on March 4 were in favor of installing permanent lighting at the athletics field, and the district entered a contract with Musco Sports Lighting to get the project rolling.

Moriarty said preparation for the installation will begin in late spring, and there will be an opening ceremony to celebrate the lights at a date to be named later.

Bruce Jones is the chair of the Grandparents Club, which spearheaded the funding for the project. The group of grandparents worked to raise $181,920 by seeking donations from community members, and the warrant article at the district meeting asked the voters to approve $359,000 for the project.

At the district meeting, voters learned the widow and daughter of the late Kevin Keenan of the Grandparents Club donated $25,000 just before the meeting, and an amendment was made to reflect $226,163 total raised.

Moriarty said with some more funds trickling in since, the total amount donated is $230,498.45. She said the donated funds will be used first, and whatever is left will be raised through taxation.

Jones said the Grandparents Club and district leaders did their homework over the two years before the vote, so the day after the election, they were able to hit the ground running and get the contract set.

Jones made it clear while the Grandparents Club was the driving force of the project, the rest is in the hands of the school district. He is looking forward to shovels breaking ground and the project coming to fruition, so the whole Inter-Lakes community can enjoy athletic events under the lights.

The lights will provide a chance for a number of other activities with a lit field, including various clubs using it, or people who want to just take some laps on the track.

“Once it is completed, it will get us to a whole bunch of firsts for this community to experience, which is pretty neat,” Jones said.

Jones said a July completion means it will be ready for fall sports practices into the night hours. He also said student-athletes who work summer jobs would now have the chance for more field time, if practices are scheduled later.

“There is so much to look forward to,” Jones said. “After the fall athletics schedule is published, we’ll be seeing the first football and soccer games with permanent lights, and a lot of other things.”

Jones said his club is still focused on the project, which was dubbed “Light it Up Lakers,” and members have been in contact with businesses within the three towns of the district: Center Harbor, Meredith and Sandwich. He expects the lights, which could mean more night games, could be an economic driver.

“With earlier times, it can be tough for some families to make it to games, but now they can do that, and then maybe hit one of the many fine restaurants we have in Meredith.”

The group is still fundraising, and also actively looking for members. Jones said anyone can join, and while it is currently made up only of grandfathers of students in the district, there is no barrier to join.

“It is almost all grandfathers right now, so it would be nice to have a more diverse crowd involved,” Jones said. “You don’t need to have grandchildren, or even a student at the school. We welcome all support. It is often harder to get people’s time than money.”

Jones is inspired by the overwhelmingly positive response from people in the community. Since the district meeting, he has heard from people who are interested in getting involved more than ever.

The group has a board of directors with five consistent members, and there are some who have already voiced consideration to be part of the nonprofit group. Two major donors who have put $20,000 into the project are considering joining.

The Grandparents Club and Meredith Village Savings Bank have spots on the scoreboard already, and there are three spots left. The naming rights are honored for 25 years, making it a substantial commitment to the school and town.

The district has been selling spots for banners, with some already been hung up at the field. Jones is excited about the class banners, ranging from the Class of 1966, to the Class of 2027.

“Not every one is up there, but I would love to see every class,” Jones said. “But people can put up a banner to cheer on a player, have a message to a loved one, or for a business in town. It will be exciting for people to see the names on the banners when the lights go on.”

The Class of 1966 banner was paid for by friends and family of Keenan, as it was his graduating class. Jones said he always had “Tuesdays with Kevin,” relating it to the popular Mitch Albom novel. Each Tuesday morning, the grandparents sat around a coffee table, doing homework, and almost every time they met, Keenan would say he hoped he was alive to see the lights on.

“That pulls my heart strings,” Jones said.

Nothing is set in stone, but Jones said there have been ideas for other field improvements. These include seating, installing a press box, updating sound, building bathrooms, and improving the scoreboard to include LED aspects.

The contract includes $44,000 in contingency funds, in case crews hit rocks while digging to install light poles. If they get lucky and don’t hit rocks, the money will be returned to taxpayers.

A petitioned article could be created for the next district meeting, to ask the voters to approve using funds for other purposes.

For now, the focus is on getting the lights on, and Jones is looking forward to celebrating the accomplishment. He has always felt Homecoming will be a good time for a celebration, but whenever it will be, he knows excitement will fill the air.

“I think you will probably see grown men cry, because the grandparents have put some blood, sweat and tears into this.”