Let There Be Light!

WAITSBURG - With the first WP football game just five weeks away, School Board Chairman Ross Hamann said he is confident the new light system and press box will be installed by Aug. 31.

"Anything we complete in advance of that is a bonus," he said.

Colter Mohney, the fa- cilities, transportation and maintenance supervisor for the district, said last Friday the community will soon see progress. Pacific Power & Light was expected to be hanging the lights on the new poles Tues- day, July 24 at 9 a.m. How- ever, Mohney said Tuesday the power company would have to postpone until Wednesday.

After the lights go up, the field will need to be trenched and the wires, housed in pipes, will be laid and covered. The last piece of that puzzle is to get the light company back out to bring in the power, Mohney said.

As for the construction of the new press box at the field, Mohney said it needs to be roofed and sided first, and then it will progress rapidly.

"Things will move along," he said.

The lighting project, which was approved by the school board last February, included tearing up the track and field throughout all of the spring track season. Hamann said the entire lighting project wasn't supposed to be completed before track season, but the track was supposed to be filled in for WP athletes to practice. Hamann had hoped the entire lighting project could have been completed by June 30.

The lighting project, which is costing $15,000 for the purchase of new poles and lights for the field, and about $24,000 for Doyle Electric to install the new system, is being funded by donations, the Associated Student Body and the district's capital improvement fund.

Alongside the lighting improvement project, is a project to construct a new press box at the field. The labor and materi- als are being donated by the Waitsburg Lion's Club and the Booster Club. Hamann said this volunteer-led project is also behind schedule, but he hopes to have it completed as well by the first home football game on Aug. 31.

With both projects, the vol- unteer help has come in waves, Hamann said. Also, there have been vendor and materials problems that have slowed the progress considerably. How- ever, Hamann said he knew the road to a new press box would have its bumps in the road.

"I was never under the il- lusion that there wouldn't be problems," Hamann said. "Any project is going to have incon- veniences."

Hamann thanked the vol- unteers who brought food and sports drinks for the Lions and boosters on hot days and said he appreciated all of the community support. He said he can't wait until the projects are done and he can round up all of the volunteers and thank them for the generous donations of their time and money.