Fairbanks’ Pierce Powell (right) looks to control the ball during Thursday’s match against West Jefferson. Also pictured for the Panthers is Cade Feller (7). It was the first game played on the Panther home field with lights. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
The lights that were put in place on Fairbanks High School’s soccer pitch late last week are for now, termed as temporary.
Whether lighting for the Panther boys and girls teams becomes permanent remains to be seen.
The lighting system is being rented from Dublin-based United Rentals for the next month.
That will help FHS’ teams should either host a tournament game in the coming weeks.
During past seasons, the Panther soccer squads had to begin home tournament matches at 4:30 p.m. due to the lack of lights.
Fairbanks had to make sure tournament home contests were finished before it became too dark to finish during the month of October.
The cost of the rental for the next month is being picked up by the school’s boys and girls soccer booster clubs.
“The booster clubs came up with a plan to pay for the lights,” said Fairbanks superintendent Adham Schirg.
The seven-stand mobile lighting system was installed Thursday as the Panther boys clubbed West Jefferson, 4-0.
The lights run on diesel fuel.
“The athletic boosters and parents have been very supportive on this project,” said FHS assistant coach Nick Bowsher during Thursday’s victory. “We won’t have to start any home tournament games – boys or girls – early.”
The addition of lights does not mean the remainder of Fairbanks’ boys and girls home regular season contests will start at later times.
“We can’t change our home starting times for the remainder of the regular season,” said athletic director Larry Morris. “Opposing schools already have their transportation schedules set for games at Fairbanks.
“What this will do, however, is alleviate the pressure of finishing our tournament soccer games
The lights are termed experimental as the district begins the process of looking into an upgrade of its acilities.
Schirg said the upgrade study is part of a 12-to-18 month master plan to look at proposed improvements to facilities in the district.
The superintendent said the district sent out information on the study today to begin receiving input on the proposed project.
There are no hard-and-fast additions within the proposed plan at this time.
“We don’t have a ‘wish list,’” said Schirg. “We are just getting ready to open the process in which to receive input from the community.
“We want to receive feed-back on what members of our community see as the needs for the district.”
Garmann and Miller Architects will be offering its services to help guide the district in this preliminary stage of the proposed project, according to the superintendent.