Benson's Field of Dreams

There are many people wondering why the field is being torn up and being worked on.  Since mid-September it has been nothing but a huge pile of dirt.  Work is constantly being done when it’s not raining.  It is obviously staying a field; it will just become a field of better quality.  Instead of grass, which gets muddy when it rains, it will now be made of turf.

Turf is artificial grass which drains faster and can be used in any type of weather.  It is softer than regular grass making it better for the players.  There is a lot less upkeep needed to be done on it compared to real grass.  It doesn’t have to be mowed or watered; just swept clean of debris.

This is a $1.8 million dollar project that is going to benefit St. Mary’s, PCU (Portland City United Soccer Club), and Benson High School.  It will consist of two soccer fields, one which will have football lines on it.  The football field will also have lines for the baseball and softball fields that will be incorporated in as well.

PCU has paid for over half of the project with St. Mary’s fundraising $450,000 of it and the rest being paid by the City of Portland.  Since Benson is right next to Buckman Field, part of the agreement was to let the school use it during the day and for their sports teams.

PCU will mostly use the field in the winter and summer with St. Mary’s and Benson using it mostly during fall and spring.

"We've already worked out a schedule in terms of practice times and games, so I'm feeling like we're OK with it," Benson athletic director Bruce Alton said.

St. Mary’s is currently using Delta Park, Willamette Park and Portland State's Stott Field.  They use them for soccer and lacrosse.  Benson’s home football field is the turf field at Cleveland High School, so it won’t be a huge change when moved to Benson.  Right now they are practicing at Overlook Park, which is not made for football.  It is the same for soccer, who use Buckman Elementary and Tubman Elementary for practice and Delta Park for their home games.  Benson Baseball will be appreciative of the new lights going in so the team can practice outside longer and be able to finish their games that are continuing after the sun goes down.

As a result of this project, the freshmen are getting robbed of experiencing the full Benson P.E. Program.  They are not able to go outside to do various activities such as football, golf, or being able to run on the track.  Even with the weather being cold and rainy most of the time, it is still fun to be able to experience P.E. outside instead of being stuck inside the whole time.

Everyone is excited for the field to be finished.  Practices for various teams are coming soon or have already started.  It is proposed to be finished by mid-January and be ready to use.  With this field being made, in the PIL we will be the second, behind Cleveland HS to have a home turf field.  On the other hand, we will be the first to have a home turf baseball and softball field.

It was discovered last year that this project would happen; now that the time is near for it to be finally finished, excitement is running high.

-Connor Buckley