Construction of an artificial turf football field was approved by trustees in April 2008, and major renovations were completed for a Sept. 27, 2008 game vs. Middlebury. The $6-million project included installation of a Field Turf playing surface on Seaverns Field, reconstruction of the Alfond Track, lighting for the field and track, earthen embankments behind both end zones, and plantings, particularly at the northwest end. The Field Turf surface is the same material, installed by the same company, as the one that the New England Patriots play on in Foxborough, Mass.
Markings allow for use of the field by soccer and lacrosse teams as well as by the football team. Construction began April 28, 2008, and was completed five months later.
Aerial view of construction (June 13, 2008) |
The project, known as the Harold Alfond Stadium, honors one of Colby's greatest benefactors, whose family also gave the naming gift for the outdoor track in 1988. The gift for the field and related improvements, from the Harold Alfond Foundation, was the last personal commitment that Harold Alfond made to Colby before his death in 2007. His wife, the late Bibby (Levine) Alfond '38, was a sister of Ludy '21 and Pacy '27 Levine, for whom the Levine Athletic Grounds were named posthumously in 2003. The Levine Scoreboard at the football field was a gift from the Levine brothers in 1988.
