Seneca Valley’s athletic fields have finally received much-needed overhauls.

As reported last year by the Seneca Scout, the football stadium, baseball field, softball field, and the dual soccer and lacrosse practice field each underwent dramatic renovations.

After the baseball and softball field renovations were finished last winter, ground was broken during the spring to begin work on the additional turf surfaces. The estimated total cost for the new artificial turf was approximately $3.8 million, and the turf has an expected life span of about 12 to 13 years. Although the initial costs seem high at first glance, artificial turf allows for outdoor play more months out of the year and costs significantly less to maintain than natural grass fields.

Beginning with the baseball and softball fields last fall, construction progressed smoothly through the summer months until the completion of each field. Minimal disruptions in work on the fields can be attributed to uncharacteristically mild weather during the winter, spring and summer seasons.

Seneca Valley Athletic Director Heather Lewis told the Seneca Scout that, “the decision to update the fields was ultimately made by administrators because providing facilities for all of our student athletes, no matter what team, was important to us in the decision.”

Now that the fields are finished, even the slightest glance in their direction reveals a world of difference. The shared soccer and lacrosse field, formerly referred to by students as “the swamp”, lived up to its nickname; uneven clumps of grass and dirt made a sprained ankle or stumble nearly unavoidable.

Now, however, the field sports two sets of brand-new aluminum bleachers, covered benches for players during sunny games and practices, and overhead lights to illuminate the field at night, just to name a few new features. The turf shines vibrantly green and the bold black-and-blue SV logo sits proudly in the middle of the field. The renovations to this previously overlooked playing field have turned it in to another one of the Seneca Valley campus gems.

Nearly every student, whether involved or not in athletics, benefits from these changes. Ms. Lewis told the Scout, “We always look at our facilities and ask if there are ways they can be maximized. We looked at our baseball and softball fields as well as the soccer and lacrosse fields, which require yearly maintenance due to inherent weather conditions, and decided that turfing the fields would be the best option financially instead of trying to keep up with wear and tear caused by the weather. Installing turf would also allow for longer periods of use during the year for teams as well as physical education classes. The district decided that this would be the best option for our students and community.”

Ultimately, the upgrading of Seneca Valley’ athletic fields was a success, and today’s investments will serve future generations of Raiders for years to come.