Free Press

Issue date: 2/1/10 Section: Sports

Hannaford Supermarket's Vice President for Retail Operations, Dave Bass, presents a check for $250,000 to USM President Selma Botman at a recent basketball game in Gorham. The money was a gift to help build a new multi-purpose turf facility with lights on the USM campus.

The USM soccer field has taken some serious wear and tear over the years. This isn't going to be a concern for Athletic Director Al Bean and the USM athletics department for much longer. The Hannaford Charitable Foundation recently awarded a $250,000 donation to the USM athletics department to help build a new multi-purpose synthetic field with lights, to replace the existing grass surface.

"Our current field is actually a good field. With two teams practicing and playing games on it though, halfway through the first month it starts getting in rough shape," USM men's soccer coach Mike Keller said. "So many Northeast schools are switching to turf fields, so this is a great thing for our program."

The donation was presented at halftime of a recent basketball game in Gorham by Hannaford Supermarket's vice president for retail operations, Dave Bass, who handed the check over to USM President Selma Botman.

Bean, who has been corresponding with Hannaford for the past two years, is anticipating this project as he feels that it is something that needs to happen for USM athletics.

"I've been talking with folks from Hannaford for quite some time about bringing a turf field to USM," Bean said. "The timing was right and I sent a proposal into them and they approved it. We're very excited about this."

In a statement from an interview last semester, Bean mentioned that a new multi-purpose turf field, which is an estimated $1 million project, is the "top priority" for the USM athletics department right now. If the planning and permitting processes go well, USM plans to start building this new facility in the spring of 2011, or possibly earlier.

The construction of a new multi-purpose facility will be beneficial to USM in many ways. A new state of the art field will provide our men and women's soccer and lacrosse teams with a playing surface that will remain in great shape for late, and early in the season. The turf surface can be plowed early in the spring when there's still a substantial amount of snow on the ground. This factor would also be beneficial for the USM baseball and softball teams who have trouble playing and practicing outside during the first couple weeks of the season when they return from their annual spring trips. The addition of lights would also open up a world of opportunity for our athletics teams, allowing them to experience the excitement of night games as well as alleviating scheduling difficulties.

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