2008 Woodie Awards
Track to close for renovation project
Alexander Richards
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: News
This April, trustees approved a new construction project to renovate the College's Alfond Track and Seaverns Football Field. The project will improve these facilities to a level comparable to that of other NESCAC schools and small colleges.
The new track and field, once opened, will be known as "Alfond Stadium," in recognition of the project's main benefactors, Harold and Bibby Levine ('38) Alfond. To help promote a "stadium" atmosphere, four- to five-foot earth berms will be constructed at both ends of the field. Additional landscaping will help give the stadium a more closed-in feel.
The other primary upgrade to the complex will be the conversion of Seaverns field from a grass to turf playing surface, similar to that found on the Bill Alfond Field. The new surface will have markings for football as well as for soccer and lacrosse, allowing all three teams to utilize the new field for practice or competitions. New lighting will also be installed for the track and field areas.
Holding true to College tradition, the field within Alfond Stadium will still be named Seaverns Field in honor of Charles F.T. Seaverns, a trustee and benefactor of the College, and member of the class of 1901. The first Seaverns Field was constructed on the downtown campus in 1919 and remained there until 1951. After the College moved onto Mayflower Hill, the football field on the new campus was again named in Seaverns' honor in 1948.
This $6 million renovation project was Harold Alfond's final personal gift to the College before his death in November 2007. Alfond, referred to as the "most unpretentious millionaire" by Golf magazine, was a longtime benefactor of the College. Many building projects at the College were made possible by his generous donations, such as the Harold and Bibby Alfond Senior Residence Complex, the Alfond Rink, the Alfond Track and the Alfond-Wales Tennis Courts, among others.
Construction on the track was slated to being on April 28. The track will remain open on a limited basis during construction to track and field athletes participating in post-season competitions and championships. If construction remains on schedule during the summer, Alfond Stadium will be open for use by the beginning of the Fall 2008 semester.
The new track and field, once opened, will be known as "Alfond Stadium," in recognition of the project's main benefactors, Harold and Bibby Levine ('38) Alfond. To help promote a "stadium" atmosphere, four- to five-foot earth berms will be constructed at both ends of the field. Additional landscaping will help give the stadium a more closed-in feel.
The other primary upgrade to the complex will be the conversion of Seaverns field from a grass to turf playing surface, similar to that found on the Bill Alfond Field. The new surface will have markings for football as well as for soccer and lacrosse, allowing all three teams to utilize the new field for practice or competitions. New lighting will also be installed for the track and field areas.
Holding true to College tradition, the field within Alfond Stadium will still be named Seaverns Field in honor of Charles F.T. Seaverns, a trustee and benefactor of the College, and member of the class of 1901. The first Seaverns Field was constructed on the downtown campus in 1919 and remained there until 1951. After the College moved onto Mayflower Hill, the football field on the new campus was again named in Seaverns' honor in 1948.
This $6 million renovation project was Harold Alfond's final personal gift to the College before his death in November 2007. Alfond, referred to as the "most unpretentious millionaire" by Golf magazine, was a longtime benefactor of the College. Many building projects at the College were made possible by his generous donations, such as the Harold and Bibby Alfond Senior Residence Complex, the Alfond Rink, the Alfond Track and the Alfond-Wales Tennis Courts, among others.
Construction on the track was slated to being on April 28. The track will remain open on a limited basis during construction to track and field athletes participating in post-season competitions and championships. If construction remains on schedule during the summer, Alfond Stadium will be open for use by the beginning of the Fall 2008 semester.
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