Edwards-Maurer Field and the Earl F. Morris Track will be all new by the start of the 2005-06 school year.

Renovations to the Earl F. Morris Track and Edwards-Maurer Field, which will also include improvements to the Hoyt-Sullivan Pressbox, will commence as soon as the 2005 spring sports seasons conclude in early May.

The track will be a Recotan Track surface, replacing the surface put down in 1993 as part of the Bill Edwards Drive Project. The services of DeFargo Sports Surfaces of Round Rock, Texas, have been retained to complete that part of the project.

Edwards-Maurer Field, home to the football, field hockey, men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse teams, will be re-surfaced with 2 1/4 inch blades of artificial grass with granular sand and rubber in-fill. Kiefer Specialty Flooring of Lake Villa, Ill., has been selected to do that work. The Tiger men’s and women’s soccer teams are also planning to call the field home in 2005 thanks to the renovations, in addition to regular use by the cricket club team, intramural athletic activities and occasional community events, including high school football and lacrosse games.

“This project will greatly enhance our efforts to continue recruiting top-notch student-athletes,” said Garnett Purnell, director of athletics and recreation. “These high-quality athletic facilities will serve both our varsity athletes and our general student population extremely well for many years to come.”

Construction on the center will begin in early May in order to have all construction completed by Aug. 1, 2005, in time for the start of the 2005-06 school year.