By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
With four months remaining before the start of the 2025 high school football and soccer seasons, construction crews are working to complete on-campus athletic fields at Dayton and Newport Central Catholic and upgrading the one used by Bellevue.
Recent rain storms caused some delays, but spokesmen for all three high schools said the projects are going smoothly. In fact, a save-the-date notice has already been posted for the Dayton stadium grand opening celebration on Thursday, Aug. 14.
“I fully anticipate when we return from the dead period (in early July) that our kids will be using our field,” said Matt Haskamp, director of student services for Dayton Independent Schools. “We won’t have full occupancy. The field house won’t be completed by then. But our kids will be able to use the field for practice.”
The Dayton field area has been graded, lights are installed and a scoreboard was scheduled to be erected on Friday. The cinder block and brick outer walls of the field house are standing and the frame work for an attached indoor practice facility are in place.
“Every time something new happens, it creates a whole new buzz in the community,” Haskamp said of the $15 million project.
The company installing synthetic turf on the Dayton field should begin that stage of the project next week. A main entrance building with restrooms, concessions and storage area needs to be built and bleachers need to added.
Haskamp said he meets with contractors every two weeks and expects the project to be “100 percent completed” before the first day of school in August.
Groundbreaking for the Dayton athletic complex took place last April. That was six months before NewCath and Bellevue launched their projects. Bulldozers are still moving around mounds of dirt at both of those sites. Retaining walls to stabilize the NewCath property are in place.
Bellevue athletic director Jim Hicks said he will get an update on the upgrades to Leo Gilligan Field and Ben Flora Gymnasium next week.
Board members for Bellevue Independent Schools approved $8.4 million for that project.
The 88-year-old football stadium will have a synthetic turf field, new concession stand with restrooms and new tennis courts. The 52-year-old gym will have its locker rooms, lobby and public restrooms renovated.
NewCath set aside $8.5 million for its athletic complex that will include a synthetic turf field with lighting and main entrance building with locker rooms, restrooms and athletic offices. Another $1.5 million was projected to be raised for construction of a field house with an indoor practice area for sports teams and cheerleaders.
“Still too early to tell when the opening will be,” NewCath athletic director Jeff Schulkens said in an email. “They are a little behind, but hopefully can catch up.”
Great to see these three schools getting long needed additions/rennovations. Their student-athletes will strive even greater for their goals.