A project that one former high school administrator called 40 years in the making is officially underway in Lehighton Area School District.

Lehighton held a ceremonial groundbreaking under a blue and sunny sky Thursday morning, kicking off construction of a $6.3 million multipurpose athletic stadium located between the administration building and the high school.When finished around early November, the majority of the district's outdoor athletic events will be held at the complex.Completion can't come soon enough for many in the community, including former Lehighton High School Principal Gordon Ripkey, the featured speaker at Thursday's event."The district has been extremely slow when it comes to major projects," Ripkey said.To punctuate his point, he brought a program from the dedication of the stadium on Beaver Run Road, next to what is now Lehighton Area Middle School, dated Oct. 12, 1940. The facility still hosts Lehighton's football games."The Middle States Association on Colleges and Schools evaluated the facility in the 1970s and even then there were concerns about the state of that facility," Ripkey said.Included in the project is the installation of an artificial turf playing surface, making Lehighton the third district in the area to switch from natural grass following Pleasant Valley and Northern Lehigh.For the athletes, it will be a welcome change."Our whole team is excited," said Xander Smith, a lineman on both sides of the ball for Lehighton's varsity football team. "I just know for myself, I'm tired of that field up there. I played on turf in middle school and you can tell the difference. Just in the cleats and your footing, there is a big difference."CMG of Easton was awarded the $5.229 million general construction contract in May. The electrical construction contract went to Pagoda Electrical Inc. of Reading, for $582,748 and mechanical contract to Master Mechanical of McAdoo, for $452,548.Additional general construction items include track resurfacing for $200, end zone lettering spelling out "Lehighton" and "Indians" for $17,000, and a stairwell providing an additional entrance to the stadium at the southwest corner of the property for $45,000.Using A-Turf, a field turf manufacturer out of Lancaster, will reduce the cost of the project by $22,500."This is an inspiring and critically needed new project," Lehighton Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said. "As you can see from the design layout, I think it is a complex that everyone in the district can be proud of."Kyle Spotts, Lehighton director of student services and facilities planning, said the field will be used by the district's football, soccer, field hockey and track and field teams. Baseball and softball teams will practice on the turf. The stadium could also host band competitions and booster club games."This also gives us an opportunity to move graduation outside, weather permitting," Spotts said.Spotts said Lehighton would also make a play to host district and state playoff games, which would bring in additional revenue through a facility rental fee and concession sales by parent clubs.Aside from the field, other plans include constructing a visitor and home grandstand, press box, 62-foot by 260-foot field house, 42-foot by 74-foot restroom/maintenance building, a 119-vehicle paved parking lot and a 100-vehicle grass overflow lot; and installing a new lighting system for the field and paved parking areas.Bringing football games to the new stadium moves Lehighton closer to having a central location for all of its home athletic contests."For years the program was spread out all over the place," Ripkey said. "Football and track and field events were held at the Beaver Run Road stadium, baseball and field hockey were played at Baer Memorial Park, and softball was played in Weissport.Tennis was part of the physical education program and the district used a portable net in the parking lot at the north end of what is now Lehighton Middle School. Band also practiced on macadam.The goal was to try and bring the complex together back then. Today, I think we have finally reached that goal, 40 years after it started."