Saturday, August 28, 2004

By O'Ryan Johnson
Staff Writer

LAWRENCE -- Veterans Memorial Stadium was built to remind residents of locals who lost their lives fighting for their country. But Many in south Lawrence have fixated on the stadium as a symbol of the city's disregard for its own history.

"I've been involved for 20 years," Salem Street resident Edward Anderson said. "First we just wanted the stadium to be made safe. You could see the deterioration. As the years went on it got worse."

But in two weeks, Anderson's hopes of the last two decades will come true. Workers will begin repairing the chipped and cracked concrete, replacing aluminum benches in the 7,000-seat stadium, as the city spends $5.6 million to bring the structure up to date. Last week the Contractors Specialist Inc. was awarded the city's bid to begin repairs to the 78-year-old stadium, which will be completed by next fall, according to project architect Michael S. Teller of Boston.

Anderson, a member of the Stadium Restoration Committee since its inception 21/2 years ago, said when the preservation work begins it will be a turning point for the city, which up to now has allowed historic properties to meet the wrecking ball.

"We just take them down," he said. "Everything is dollars and cents, the post office, movie row. ... Everyone's been watching Lawrence history go down the drain."

Anderson said concerts and sports teams could turn the stadium into a moneymaker, so the structure may be able to finance its own repairs in the future. He said Mayor Michael J. Sullivan sees the same potential, which further inspires Anderson.

Sullivan included restoring the stadium in his $30 million capital improvement bond which will also bankroll repairs to City Hall and miles of roads and sidewalks.

Teller said the underside of the stadium, which now has concrete supports, will eventually house bathrooms and a concession stand. CSI, the contractors on the stadium project, also worked on Fraser Field in Lynn, home of the Northeast Independent League's baseball team the North Shore Spirit. Teller said a renovated stadium could lure similar organizations to Lawrence.

"It's sort of an 'if you build it they will come' concept," he said. "You can attract semi-pro athletic teams, which will promote development in Lawrence."

Teller said one of the best features will be outside the stadium: a paved walkway with concrete engraved to look like brick will lead visitors to granite benches and four "obliques" -- which look like small versions of the Washington Monument -- capped with granite. Each monument will carry a bronze plaque dedicated to one branch of the armed services.

At around $2.6 million, the landscaping and monuments will cost nearly as much as the repairs.

"It's going to be awesome when it is done," he said. "We're also adding 12 flags to the top of the grandstands and a 60-foot flag pole (near the entrance). Each of the obliques are going to be adjacent to a row of granite benches."

But for Anderson the best part will be seeing the stadium itself reborn as a monument to the veterans.

"My thing is, this is a piece of Lawrence history," he said. "The possibilities are just phenomenal."

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