Laying down the turf: A look at the installation of the new surface at Flinn Stadium

QUINCY — Flinn Stadium’s turf field is getting a facelift.

Work has been ongoing throughout the summer to lay down a new artificial turf surface at Quincy High School’s venerable outdoor facility, and this week, crews began putting strips of turf in place.

It replaces a surface that was installed in 2011 and had exceeded its 10-year life expectancy. Pieces of the turf were pulling away or tearing, causing safety concerns and precipitating the need for a new surface. The track also was showings of wear and tear.

At its February meeting, the Quincy School Board accepted bids from Byrne and Jones Sports Construction of Bridgeton, Mo., to replace the turf for $556,775 and resurface the track for $128,000. The district is using part of $7.2 million in health life safety bond budget to cover the cost of the project.

In late May, construction crews fixed surface issues with the track and repainted it. Then work began removing the old turf and fixing any issues with the underlying surface. Now, crews are in the process of laying strips of turf, having started this week with the new Blue Devil blue end zone on the east end of the field.

Both end zones will be blue with “QUINCY” scripted in white. A Blue Devil head will adorn midfield, replacing the “Q” that had been in the middle in the past. Player boxes on both sidelines will be blue and feature “Q”s on each end and “Blue Devils” scripted in the middle.

The project is expected to be finished in early August to give the football and boys soccer teams time to acclimate themselves with the turf prior to opening their seasons the final week of August.