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Harlan School Board – Merrill Field update

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July 22nd, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Harlan Community School District Board of Educators heard an update on the Merrill Field Construction Project. In a board meeting Monday, Superintendent Justin Wagner told the board the construction is on schedule. “At this point, overall the project is on schedule with the completion date of August 22nd. I talked to Joe down on the field and he said it could be as early as the 18th which for us is significant because we are trying to get to the 21st for the soap scrimmage and give the community a chance for celebration down on the field.”

The all new scoreboard has been installed and the bleachers are to be completed in the next ten days. Wagner says there was one issue during the construction. “Nemaha did some testing of the rock and it was not draining as they hoped. They brought in some cleaner rock which makes it filter and add a few more inches of rock to help the field drain.” The school district is working with the city of Harlan to make sure the field drains properly. Wagner says other than that, the project has been going smooth.

“Obviously lights are in. Safety lane is all the way around. Sidewalks will start being poured all the way around. The surfacing of the track will be the last thing done. When we say August 22nd substantial completion, we hope that includes the track. That might be a little bit aggressive and might be a little later. But it definitely will be done before the first home game. So the entire project will be done before the first home game.”

In other action items, the school board approved the new handbooks for the upcoming school year, a girls swimming shared agreement with Lewis Central and a bowling stipend for head coach David Tyrrel.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)