KEARNEY — Construction continues to progress at Kearney Catholic High School’s Miles Field, efforts to renovate the space have been underway since November 2023.
The new track, featuring post-tension concrete, was laid in July. Post-tensioning incorporates steel cables and tendons within the concrete formwork before pouring.
With the concrete now set, the goal posts at each endzone have been erected and now the synthetic turf field is in the process of being laid.
Sara Homan, KCHS Foundation Director of Advancement, said on an interview with KGFW that the choice of synthetic turf, “was pretty obvious to maximize impact for the student body.”
She said it is true that professional sport teams have been trending back to natural grass fields for safety reasons, but after consulting with experts, it was noted that high school athletes are not operating at the level of professional athletes and a turf field would be safe.
Homan also noted that the KCHS marching band will be able to practice on the turf field, which is the same surface that all their competitions take place on. “They have never had that before,” she said.
She said to maximize the use for the entire student body, the choice of synthetic turf was the only way to go.
When asked about community use of Miles Field, Homan said that was one of the four major goals of the renovation project, was that this could be a space that could positively impact the Kearney community.
Facility Upgrades
Due to the former state of the full field and track, KCHS has been unable to host soccer and track events and has missed out on hosting 18 to 23 home games or meets a year. That number doesn’t account for junior varsity, middle school, or band events.
There was a push to modernize the facilities that was gaining momentum in 2019-2020 but was sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, the KCHS Foundation, KCHS administration, under the guidance of the consulting firm, Partners In Mission, lead a strategic planning process involving school leadership, staff, clergy, school families and the communities.
Having to access external facilities for track and safety concerns reignited the conversation for modernization in late 2022, early 2023.
They aim to unveil the completed complex by the Homecoming game on Sept. 27, showcasing a state-of-the-art venue designed to elevate both athletic performance and school spirit.
The goal posts at Miles Field were raised after the post-tension concrete was laid in late July, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)