By: Kyle Shisbey & John Arnold The Clark Field renovations project, which broke ground on November 4, 2021, has made immense progress on finishing the field. Throughout 2021 and 2022, St. Anthony High School has been building a new 21st Century Athletic Field Complex at Clark Field. This long-awaited major renovation project is nearing its completion thanks to a generous $6 million donation from Shea Family Charities as well as gifts received from alumni, current school families, and the saints community. Lloyd Sports & Engineering and Slater Builders, both local firms which are experienced in the development of high school athletic fields, have been the two major contributors through their architecture and building services. The project is estimated at $11.6 million and includes a modern turf football field which doubles as a soccer field as well as a six-lane regulation track, bleacher seating, and facilities accommodating girls and boys athletic programs. “We hoped by Christmas because city delays caused a setback from November.” says St. Anthony’s Director of Advancements, Mrs. Furlow, when asked a specific date on when the field would be finished. She concluded with “We are looking at a mid-February early march opening. If we can move that up we will. Early 2023 is our official response.” Located on the north end of Long Beach, the 9.6 acre property was originally gifted to St. Anthony Parish in 1945 by The Montana Land Company. It has been the primary athletic field for all of St. Anthony’s sports programs, except for basketball, volleyball and e-sports, ever since. Soon after its opening, the new “St. Anthony’s Memorial Field” hosted the high school’s first CIF Championship Team in 1948. It has been in use for high school athletics and a variety of other school activities ever since. 2023 may even be the first year when seniors at St. Anthony’s could possibly graduate at Clark Field as Mrs. Furlow states, “We are even considering having graduation down there.” For more than seven decades, the Saints have called this field home, either visiting as students and athletes or returning as alumni to relive precious high school memories and create new ones. Field renovation planning has been in the works since 2011 when the first task force was formed to find a path forward to revitalize the property. In November, 2018, St. Anthony High School developed funds to support the project by launching the Building Our Future Campaign. Throughout 2019 and early 2020, St. Anthony was able to raise over $4.3 million to support the project. This recent gift of $6 million from Shea Family Charities completed Phase One of the fundraising. This major gift is the largest single donation the high school has received since its early years in the 1940s. The Building Our Future Campaign will continue fundraising in order to complete Phase One and launch Phase Two of the property renovation, accommodating both baseball and softball programs on the northern portion of the field. An estimated $4 million is required to complete this second phase and the entire project. More information about this project and St. Anthony High School is available on the school’s website, www.LongBeachSaints.org.
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September 2023
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