HARVEST- With an atmosphere filled with pomp and circumstance nearly two weeks ago with the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the new athletic facility at Sparkman High was unveiled and this Friday night will host its first official contest when the Senators host the Hazel Green Trojans in the season opener for the school’s football team.

As part of a total $2.4-million athletic renovation project at the Class 7A school, the school’s football field was changed to artificial turf and can be marked for both football and soccer. Surrounding the bright green turf is a new state-of-the-art track, which will be as good as any in the north half of the state of Alabama. As for the field surface, one major difference in the Senators’ facility is the fact the rubber material among the fabric is green in color, unlike most that use a black color rubberized filler. The difference gives the field an even richer green color.

The green rubber material will also make the on-field temperature at 30 degrees cooler than the rubber that is generally used.

The largest school in North Alabama and third largest in the state used money through the Madison County Schools’ capitol funds plan after the original plans to build a new high school in nearby Monrovia were scrubbed. In all, Sparkman received $22-million for work on the schools that include renovations as well as additions to the already huge complex.

The plans call for a new 700-seat auditorium, band room, seven new classrooms and an indoor crosswalk that would connect the high school campus with the school’s separate ninth grade academy facility located across Ford Chapel Road on the north side of the current campus.

Hellas Construction Company based in Austin, Tex. was the main contractor for the athletic project, which began earlier this year. Three layers of crushed rock was laid as the base surface with rolls of turf put on top to make the playing surface. The turf was stitched together and feature prefabricated lines stitched-in field markings for both football and soccer.