The track surface is gone and the edges of the turf have been pushed back from that area.

“Track removal started on Monday and has fully been completed,” Warren Sports Boosters President Michael Boyd said.

The bulk of the project is the removal and replacement of the turf on the field and of the track, including milling down to create a better base layer.

While work began as soon as school was out for the year, the project is not off to a smooth start.

The work on the track started first because it will take longer. Once the track is paved, the material must cure for 28 days.

“We were looking at a date of Monday for paving,” Boyd said.

The paving of the track has been pushed back, Boyd said, “due to drainage issues in the D-rings that go around each end zone.”

“What we’re running into is we need to figure out a proper drainage solution and if we need to replace all those drains/pipe which would add significantly to the cost of the project,” he said.

So far, the estimate for replacement is at $105,000. “We are having some different folks in to take a look and weighing options,” Boyd said. “We expected there would be some drainage snags and feel confident we can overcome these with a long-term solution that will divert the water from the track.”

The good news on that front is that the timing still works.

“We don’t see this as adding any significant time onto the project and still plan to be open for fall kickoff,” Boyd said.

The existing field materials will be peeled off at the end of this month and any necessary grading will be done then to smooth out the surface. “The new field is scheduled to arrive the week of July 4 and install will begin,” he said.

The capital campaign for the work continues.

“We are around $175,000 short of our goal as donations continue to come in,” Boyd said. “We recently were informed United Refining has committed $100,000 to the project and we’re beyond grateful. The only reason this renovation is moving forward is because of the people and businesses in this community.”

Anyone who would like a piece of turf may reach out to the Warren Sports Boosters Facebook page.