Rehab work completed on Sisters Elementary

Sisters Elementary School's playing field has undergone a major facelift. Some $30,000 in donated money was spent to spruce up the debilitated field that students use for playing on during recess and for commmunity soccer play.

The playing field, which had a dated and inefficient sprinkler system, needed an entirely new irrigation system to keep the grass consistently healthy, Sisters School Board Director Rob Corrigan said.

There were patches of grass and dirt and the field was never consistently well maintained, Corrigan said.

To fix the problem, community members contributed and raised enough funds to seed and fertilize the area and to fix the sprinkler system.

Work on the field started July 10 and it is almost completely finished. The grass still needs time to grow in entirely and some spots need to be leveled. The baseball field is also getting new grass.

"The kids will see a dramatic difference when they go back to school in the fall," Corrigan said.

The Cyrus family, who owns Aspen Lakes Golf Course, contributed $15,000 to repair the field and Matt Cyrus was the real inspiration for getting the project started, Corrigan said.

"Matt suggested improving the field after we were watching the kids play soccer in the field with rocks and dirt," Corrigan said.

Mike Burke, who ownsSisters Landscaping Co., charged the school district for his work, but he also volunteered his own time and parts to fix the irrigation system.

"Mike went above and beyond what was needed and we really honor him for his work with the (school) district," Corrigan said.

The Sisters Soccer Club donated $7,000 and money raised from the Outlaw Open, a golfing fundraiser, was donated to help repair the playing field.

There is $5,000 to $6,000 left over from the money raised to maintain and repair the field in the future, Corrigan said.