I think it’s fair to say that many of us are a little frustrated, or at least curious, about the progress of repairs at the track and field. Some wonder why the field needed to be redone in the first place.

Fridley Field is actually a lot older than one may think–the field itself was about eleven years old and the track over twenty. While the field hasn’t received a lot of work in its lifetime, the track got an overspray about ten years ago. With the amount of activities that the track and field handle from both school sports and the community, Mr. Cardone says that they simply passed their life expectancy. 

Cardone believes that the biggest misconception about the project is that it can be completed in less time than it’s taking. Not only was the rubber of the track replaced and painted, the entire asphalt base was removed too. To give the track a new look, they decided to make it black and have the D-zone be grey. The cause of the delay was actually due to the pigmentation product being stuck in German customs for a month. The crew was ready to move forward, but without the delivery to work with, they were assigned to other jobs. As soon as the product was delivered, they got back to work, but unfortunately the process didn’t allow them to finish in time for a half-time show for the homecoming game. The company working on the project requested that nobody went on the track because there were some spots that could not be walked on. To allow the homecoming court onto the field, mats were temporarily placed down but removed quickly once it was over.

The good news is: the track is done! The only things left to complete are the markings which should be finished towards the end of next week. After the paint cures, we could see the track opening within two weeks from now. Of course, this is all weather dependent. Thankfully, Cardone, who monitored the project through every step, was nice enough to allow all teams who need the field to practice and play on it, and soon it will be open to the public too.