Schools

Weather Leads to Additional Stone Park Delay

Plans for Friday's football game and grand festivities have been changed.

Weather and track construction issues have led to more delays at Stone Park, forcing administrators to move Friday's football game - scheduled as their home opener - to Weston.

"Football, we lost a game. We'll get it back next year, but that doesn't help us this year," athletic director Michael Plansky said.

Rain last week forced construction crews to delay pouring the track surface, which needs several days to cure properly, said Plansky.

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"What helped was getting rid of that hot, humid [weather]," Plansky said.

The first layer for the track went down on Thursday, and it needs 10-12 days to be ready.

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"Best case scenerio, is having it down by Sept. 26," the athletic director said.

The first game on the field if all goes to the current plan would be a girl's soccer match on Sept. 28.

The school thought about placing a mat over the track while it cures, but Plansky said they would risk losing the warranty.

In addition to the football game change, the boy's and girl's soccer teams have played several games at , and the field hockey team has had one game postponed and another changed from home to away.

Plansky said the delay also has cost the school and boosters money that they would make off admission to night games and concessions.

A ceremony honoring donors of Stone Park now is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 30, when the varsity football team plays Medford High School at 7 p.m. A rededication of Veterans Field is scheduled for Thanksgiving Day.

"Five years from now, no one will remember we were two weeks late - just get it done right," Plansky said.

Administrators and the School Building Rehabilitation Committee had hoped to open the athletic complex on Sept. 7, but blamed Tropical Storm Irene for .

"We had a very wet August, followed by a lot of rain and wetness in September. You need to have a good 10-day window of dry weather to get it done," said Tom Ryan, member of the SBRC.

Ryan told Dedham Patch that the committee didn't want to press for an opening before the field was ready.

"It is a $3.2 million project. That's why we've got to wait until it is done right," Ryan said.


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