Launching a Legacy in South Milwaukee

Mason Cooley, an American thinker and writer, once said What lies behind “appearance is usually another appearance.” That can be taken a number of ways, but when I think of it from the perspective of the District’s efforts to rejuvenate our athletic fields, I think of the depth and breadth of what that project will do for South Milwaukee - for our students, for our residents, and for our appearance to the outside world. Construction is set to begin on Bucyrus Stadium's Spatholz Field this Spring. High-quality turf and eco-friendly padding and infill are replacing the grass surface. The same is happening to the infield of the softball and baseball fields. The track around the field is being replaced with a modern surface more conducive to the sport. The reason this is necessary at all is the location of the fields and the regular flooding that whisks away nutrients and soil, leaving the playing surface prone to damage and hard to play on. The roughly $3.3 million effort was kicked off by a generous $1 million donation from the Bucyrus Foundation for the football field. The Launching a Legacy Committee - a group of community members - alumni and former coaches - took the ball, so to speak, and has raised more than $270,000 so far with more to come, and the school board has approved bids and has committed to ensuring the whole project is completed. It’s an exciting time.