By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Installing the new turf and track and Great Bend High School's Memorial Stadium is no small task. The USD 428 Board of Education approved up to $2 million for the project last November, and facilities were closed to the public in late May so Hellas Corporation could begin work.
The old surfaces were removed and graded, then Hellas workers moved in the "belly" of the field - the large rolls of turf that make up the actual playing surface. Hellas Vice President Michelle Kuhns said all the markings arrived on Wednesday, and lasers and string measurements will be used for precise placings where the turf is cut before the markers are glued into place. The new Panther logo is also ready for installation at midfield.
"They come put together for us already," Kuhns said. "Our machines can make certain sizes. Some come all in one piece, which means everything is glued together, and everything is ready to go because there are some intricacies on details to logos. Some of them have multiple colors, multiple eyes.
Stadium lights have been left on at the stadium over the last week to allow for longer work hours. The crews are familiar with the work of installation, but they've had to deal with heat, high winds, and rain in recent weeks.
"The wind we have to deal with all the time here," said Kuhns. "The rain, we don't want to put the infield in when it's raining, but as long as there's no lightning and things like that going on. Light rains are fine but a lot of time we just wait until it passes."
Turf work should wrap up soon so the Panther football team can begin practicing on the new field. Kuhn said asphalt will be laid for the new track beginning Monday. After that sits for a few days, the track surface will be applied. Again, lasers and string measurements are used for precise markings on the track, and they must be approved after a district walk-through. That process usually takes 3-5 days.
"He cannot do anything in the wind, he cannot do anything in the rain," Kuhns said. "The striping tends to extend projects because it has to be precise. It has to be the right weather. The track has to be clean. There are a lot of things in order for that paint to stick. That plays a big part in getting it done properly and on time."
The Panther football hosts its jamboree on Aug. 25 and opens the 2023 season at home on Sept. 1 against McPherson.
