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- Category: Past Issues
caption:
Groundbreaking
Left to right: State Representative Mike Alberts, Woodstock Academy Headmaster and Superintendent Kim Caron, Academy Board of Trustees President Sandra Fredrickson, at the groundbreaking for expanded athletic fields at Bentley Athletic Complex. They are flanked by two students with umbrellas. Linda Lemmon photo.
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Expansion
An overview created by CME shows the new fields at the top, in dark green. The red squares are maintenance and storage buildings done in red barn styles.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
WOODSTOCK --- By spring, athletes --- of the Woodstock Academy stripe and the community stripe --- will have expanded athletic facilities to use at the Bentley Athletic Complex off Rt. 169.
At the groundpreating for new fields and access roads, the downpours did not dampen the spirits of those celebrating athletic facility expansion that's been years in the making.
The $2.4 million project includes a multi-purpose field for soccer, lacrosse, football and a varsity baseball field with an expanded outfield that will allow for sub-varsity levels of the previously mentioned sports.
Funding for the project is being provided through a low-interest, long-term loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Division. The plan was engineered by CME Associates, Inc., Woodstock Office lead by Carol L. Rogers, P.E. The expansion was reviewed by the Building and Grounds Committee of the Board of Trustees chaired by Robert Blackmer.
School officials the project will be underway by mid-July and completed by March.
Sandra Fredrickson, president of the academy Board of Trustees, said the expansion will allow more space for kids and more space for the community.
The expansion will take place on seven of 14 acres at the complex. The entire complex totals 40 acres.
Kim Caron, headmaster and superintendent, said he is "thrilled" with the groundbreaking, capping off a very long planning and funding process.
The academy added lacrosse and football within the last 10 years and that left the fields crunched for space. Currently boys' lacrosse plays at Stonebridge field, part of the Woodstock Fairgrounds. Currently at Bentley, there is only one field that can handle football and soccer at the varsity level and it is getting very worn with those sports.
Currently the complex also has a sub-varsity soccer field, a baseball field, a softball field, a track, and three tennis courts.