Manning Field building construction is progressing

The Manning Field building project is starting to come together and with some cooperation from Mother Nature and no surprises on any other fronts, the structure should be substantially completed sometime between mid-April and mid-May.Community Development’s John Kasian said the spring sports teams will have use of the field and the track and the permanent stands will be in place on the Locust Street side. He said the portable bathrooms would still be necessary, at least for the first few weeks of the season. The spring sports season begins Monday, March 17, which is the first official day of practice. The first scheduled league lacrosse game at the field will be March 31.At this point, the building is actually two separate structures with three-story shafts on each. Once the building is complete, the two buildings will be connected at the third floor level by a press box. According to Kasian, there will also be a trestle connecting the two buildings at the second-floor level.Those who need handicapped access will be able to reach the lower level of the stands using ramps and the upper level (on the parking lot side of the field) using the elevator, which will be located in the shaft on the Ford Street side.Anyone driving down Locust Street these days would see the shaft sections of both buildings shrouded by tarps that allow the construction people to complete the masonry work somewhat protected from the elements.”You can see it’s really moving along,” Kasian said about the building progress.Although the parking lot won’t be paved under the current phase of the job, it will be usable when the North Shore Navigators, the new baseball team that will call Fraser Field home this summer, start their season in early June, Kasian said.Kasian said the Navigators and the visiting team will be allowed to use the team rooms on the first floor of the new building. That level will also include a concession stand, office and bathrooms. There will be more bathrooms on the second floor as well and the press box will be on the third floor.Although there will be shower facilities for the officials, there are none in the team rooms, Kasian said.Kasian said the stands on the parking lot side of the field, in front of the building, will go up after the stands on the Locust Street side. The overall project will also include a prefabricated storage building, but that won’t be done until after the spring season.