Every day this winter, Ledyard High School athletic director and assistant principal Jim Buonocore peered outside the school's gymnasium toward Bill Mignault Field, the football field which was formerly one of the most noteworthy grass facilities in the region.

(Even when it rained, Ledyard, sometimes inexplicably, played football under then-head coach, the late Bill Mignault.)

Buonocore would check out the $2.53 million project, which will result in artificial turf being laid on the football field and the new state-of-the-art track which will surround it, daily.

"I typically go out each morning and take a couple photos, a video to put on Twitter," Buonocore said earlier this week. "It's really neat to see the progress. If you were to see it right now, it's unbelievable. It's completely leveled off. It really looks different. It's really going to be eye-opening for people when they see the facility."

The turf is scheduled to be put down in mid- to late-May, Buonocore said, in time for the school to use it for graduation, as of now scheduled for June 19. The football and soccer teams will christen it in the fall, the track and lacrosse teams next spring.

The project is even somewhat ahead of schedule, Buonocore said, because of the relatively warm weather through the winter months.

At Waterford High School, meanwhile, there is the ongoing construction of what the school's softball coach, Andy Walker, has affectionately referred to as Lancer Stadium.

He admits he will probably have to settle for Lancer Park, but the grander sounding "stadium" moniker for the school's new artificial turf softball facility is perhaps befitting considering Walker's enthusiasm for the project, which cost the town $990,942.99.

Whereas the team now plays at Veterans' Memorial Field across the street from the high school, a field maintained by the town, the new facility is being built on school grounds, out beyond the baseball field.

In the rain Tuesday morning, a crew was putting the roof on Waterford's home dugout down the first base line. The turf was slotted to be laid in place on Wednesday.

"I just drove by 20 minutes ago," Walker said this week with a chuckle. "I go every day because there's so much progress. The turf was delivered yesterday, the press box is up. The bases have been put in. There's 20 guys on the field working on it right now.

"You'd be amazed. It's just a big league setting. It's going to be one of the nicer fields in the State of Connecticut. Every piece, every amenity has been thought out, the detail of it right down to the dugout benches. Each dugout will have its own batting cage that you access through the dugout."

Walker, too, whose team is the defending Class M state champion, is prone to posting updates on Twitter.

The latest post came earlier this week from Lancers athletic director Chris Landry, with photos: "Work continues at the Lancer Softball turf field! bases being prepped, dugouts, press box, and turf delivered."

Waterford was scheduled to play its home-opener on April 11 against Masuk, an event which will almost certainly now be postponed due to the onset of the coronavirus. The CIAC announced Wednesday that spring sports at the high school level are postponed pending the reopening of schools in the state, but have not been canceled.

Historical context

Bill Glenney is the coach of the Ledyard High boys' soccer team and a 1997 Ledyard graduate.

The soccer team has historically played its games at Blonders Field in Ledyard, down the road from the high school. Blonders, a grass field, features numerous divots which seem sometimes more like manholes.

Glenney, in some ways, will miss it.

"I'm one of the few sports that's not on campus (currently). It'll be nice to be right outside the backdoor," Glenney said. "It'll be nice to have a facility to practice on. We'll certainly have less cancellations.

"... I'm going to miss Blonders. It's been part of my life for well over 30 years — my youth career, my high school career, my coaching career. Maybe we can play one game a year there just to keep it going. The field is terrible but the atmosphere is amazing, sitting down in the bowl with the trees."

Bill Mignault himself coached football without turf at Ledyard for 42 seasons, winning four state championships.

The Ledyard Invitational Relays, hosted by the girls' and boys' track and field teams, are in their 40th season. They are scheduled to be held at Fitch High School on April 24-25. The track teams are set to practice at Fitch, as well, this season and will compete solely on the road.

At Waterford, Walker credits his sister Liz Sutman for helping to author the history of the program. Sutman resigned in 2016 after 14 seasons coaching the Waterford softball team and three state championships.

"I took over for Liz. She battled it, having the girls have their own field," Walker said. "We thought we were deserving for the kids, for the tradition of the program. We got left out of the first building proposal (several years ago). We thought, 'We've got to do something. It's time to make a move and give the girls a field they deserved.'"

The final straw

Buonocore calls the disrepair of Ledyard's track "the breaking point."

"The track itself and the condition the track was in, that was the biggest piece that led us down this road," Buonocore said. "We pretty much had to condemn the track due to its condition.

"... It was the right decision for us. There was a lot of history there in general from the football program, from the track and field program. But transitions have taken place; with the influx of opportunities we offered through the school ... Lacrosse, you need a facility for that sport and we really didn't have one. Soccer, we've run our course at Blonders.

"This is huge for our athletic program in general, to bring everybody back on campus. It's a first-class facility. It's a game-changer."

Buonocore called Ledyard a special place, thanking the townspeople for their support, including the town council, Mayor Fred Allyn III and superintendent of schools Jay Hartling.

Originally, $1.92 million was budgeted for the project, which is being overseen by Kaestle Boos Associates, Inc., of New Britain. The town approved an additional $616,163 in January after it was discovered there were additional grading and drainage problems.

"It was really eye-opening and awesome to see and watch throughout the process," Buonocore said. "On Jan. 6 when we needed to have extra funds appropriated, seeing that, it was really heartwarming and sends a strong message of support for our children and students."

Walker found an ally in local businessman Rob Marelli, whose daughter is a member of the varsity softball team. It was Marelli who climbed in the car with Walker and drove to five or six different fields, identifying the best of each which they hoped to bring to Waterford.

"Rob stepped up and he and I worked together on trying to create a plan and trying to make this work," Walker said. "We came back and spoke with the board of ed, spoke with (superintendent) Tom Giard about doing something here on school grounds, what fit best. There were a lot of things to consider.

"I talk about Rob a lot. He's down here more than I am. He's the communication piece with the people that are on the field. He's been instrumental. He sticks his teeth in something and he's not letting go."

The general contractor for the Waterford project is Field Turf New England, which subcontracted a portion of the work, including the day-to-day site work, including fencing, dugouts and batting cages, to Liberty Landscapes, LLC, of South Windsor.

"This is going to be a great thing," Walker said. "This is something for the future of Waterford softball."

v.fulkerson@theday.com