At best, Bridgeport High School Principal Mark DeFazio figured that he and Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Matt DeMotto would be spending part of their Saturday meeting with the folks from FieldTurf. After all, that was the day the installers of the new artificial surface at Wayne Jamison Field penciled in as the completion date for the six-figure replacement project.

 

The best, as it turns out, wasn’t actually the best. Late this morning and into the early afternoon hours, DeFazio and DeMotto met with the installers to go over the final bits of work that were taking place.  The project, DeFazio said, is essentially done.

 

“We’re definitely pleased with the finished product,” said DeFazio. “If it lasts 10 years like the first turf did then we’ll be extremely happy because we had very few issues with the first turf.”

 

DeFazio said the work crew involved has been exceptional. He said the workers started two and a half weeks ago and are at the field every morning by 6:30 a.m. and then depart later in the afternoon; sometimes just prior to 6 p.m.

 

“What’s good is that they really like to have input from those involved with the project on our end asking questions,” said DeFazio. “We had a person here in Phil Nicewarner who I think was here just as much as the FieldTurf group was here. Mr. DeMotto and I are extremely thankful to Phil for his help.”

 

Nicewarner, a BHS graduate that doubles as the father of football Coach Josh Nicewarner, has served in the capacity as the liaison between the workers and the administration as needed. DeFazio said in most cases the workers were on top of everything.

 

“With this essentially finished, we hope to get the track and then the lights in place,” said DeFazio. “We hope everything will be back to normal by August 1.”

 

Until that time, access to the facility is still off limits with the exception of high school athletes that have access to the property. DeFazio said once the track is put in place everything should be back to normal on the access front as long as the lights are completed.

 

The turf and track projects are a combined $712,000. The lighting system that is going in soon is a $270,000 project.

 

Click HERE for a previous story on the field that includes a aerial photos of the field in the gallery at the end.

 

Editor's Note: Top photos show final touches being put on the field, while BHS Principal Mark DeFazio, right, and Phil Nicewarner, center, talk to an official with LandTek Group, Inc,, out of New York, a subsidiary of FieldTurf that handled the installation.