All systems go on Mundelein turf project

Updated: October 5, 2011 7:37PM

Here’s hoping that the people involved in athletics at Mundelein High School are Facebook “friends” with Mother Nature.

Because if ever a school needed someone on its side in terms of weather, it’s the Mustangs.

Plans soon will turn to action as the school begins an ambitious construction timetable that eventually will result in a new track and an artificial-turf football field for its athletic stadium.

Generally speaking, schools attack this project in the summer, starting as soon as track season ends in the spring and hopefully finishing just before the start of football season in late August.

Mundelein is attacking the project from the other end, so that the new track and football field will be in place for the start of the girls soccer and boys/girls track seasons next spring.

Which, of course, is why the Mustangs need Mother Nature on their side.

Two important items right off the top:

■ Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the football field, there will be a ceremonial ground-breaking for the project. Members of Mundelein’s football team, players from the Mundelein Stallions youth football program, school officials, etc., all will have shovels in hand to kick off the start of the project.

■ If you look at Mundelein’s football schedule, you’ll note that the Mustangs are to host Stevenson in the regular-season finale on Oct. 20. Not any more. To get the project running, that game will be played at Stevenson.

Which means that next Monday will be the “official” beginning of the project, with drainage/retention and site-improvement work getting under way on the $1.9 million endeavor.

After that is done, the existing grass field will be removed.

Which is where Mother Nature comes into play.

The longer the Mundelein area is blessed with “Indian Summer,” the more that can be done on the project.

And then on the other side of winter, the sooner we are blessed with spring-like conditions, the sooner the carpet can be laid and the track installed.

And, if all things weather-related fall into place, the stadium will look like a stadium when track and soccer seasons come around in late March.

Needless to say, everyone who bleeds Mundelein Red has their fingers crossed.

“It’s all weather-dependent. We don’t know if we can start installation (of the artificial-turf field) before winter sets in or if we’ll have to wait and begin it in the spring,” said Jody Ware, district superintendent.

Officials estimated it will take about three weeks to install the carpet.

Funding for the field project was made possible when voters in the district came through and passed a referendum in April.

Twenty-one area high schools in the county play football, and when Mundelein takes the field next fall, only nine of them will still be playing on a grass field.

In the case of Mundelein, the artificial-turf field is a real boost to the school. Traditionally, the Mustangs like to host IHSA-sanctioned tournaments, and having a carpet and a new track makes them a strong option for regional/sectional tourneys in sports like soccer and track.

The artificial-turf field also is a boost to the entire community. Now, gym classes can be held on it, the band can practice on it, and teams can use it for practice and games regardless of how Mother Nature is feeling that day.

Plus, there are youth football, soccer and lacrosse programs in the city that likely would be interested in using the facility.

John Roszkowski contributed to this report

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