Tribune Chronicle / R. Michael Semple Equipment is seen at Howland HS stadium were a new multi-pupose turf field will be installed.

HOWLAND — Friday morning saw the beginning of a new era for Howland football and the community at large, with the groundbreaking of a new synthetic turf field for the football stadium.

Howland Activities Director Andrea Ferenac said she was skeptical of the project going through, but now that it has, sees potential for more projects to happen.

“I was a little skeptical and leery of it happening,” Ferenac said. “Now we’re able to see this happening and it’s something big. This energized a lot of people, and this is something for the community to see and rally around. A catalyst for more to happen.”

Howland getting a turf field has been in the works since the early 2010s, and the school system finally gathered the resources with combined efforts from the Howland Stadium Foundation and the Howland Board of Education’s direction of permanent improvement funds.

The Stadium Foundation donated $325,000 to the district for stadium improvements, including the turf field.

“The district receives about half a million dollars per year,” Ferenac said. “We distribute it across the district. We buy buses, technology, and things for athletics. We have had a lot of projects and this is one we’ve been working on.”

While the primary use for the field will be for athletics, the entire school district will be able to reap the benefits of a new field, including the middle school football teams.

“People’s first thought goes towards football, but it’s for everyone,” Ferenac said. “Physical education classes will use it. The band and majorettes will use it. The band won’t have to worry about rain during performances and the soccer team can move back from the middle school fields. It’s so much more than football. It represents all entities of the district.”

The baseball and softball teams will also use the field during the spring for practices when needed.

One aspect of these improvements, comes the ability to be more accommodating and welcoming to visiting teams. To Ferenac, this is another way for Howland to showcase its community pride.

“When you’re a home team you’re welcoming guests to your community,” she said. “You’re showcasing your district and who you are as a community.”

The project is expected to save $100,000 per year in materials, resources and labor from the maintenance of the current field. In addition to those savings, the district will allocate a percentage of those annual savings to the turf project and future stadium and campus improvements.

With this project getting off the ground, the district, partnered with the Howland Campus Campaign, has more improvements to the school planned. The district also plans to partner with local businesses to get video boards for the football field, security renovations to the Shaffer Drive parking lot and the construction of a performing arts auditorium.

The turf was only the beginning in a list of improvements planned by the Howland Stadium Foundation. In addition to plans for expanding the seating capacity from 3,450 to around 5,000, other planned improvements include a new lighting system and complete electrical upgrade, expanded restroom facilities, a new ticket office, entrance gates and complete ADA access.