In a winter that has been marked by treacherously icy sidewalks and impassable roads, Scully-Fahey Field joins the list of weather-related casualties, as its planned renovations lag nearly three months behind schedule.
The renovation began on Nov. 5 and was intended to last about 30 days, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Brian Austin said.
"We were actually ahead of schedule and then we had the first snowstorm on Nov. 20," he said. "The whole delay is weather delay."
The Athletic Department began the renovations before Winter term, Austin said, because of the field's poor condition and fear that, without renovation, the field would be irrevocably damaged by winter snow plowing.
"We were concerned that the surface might not survive another season of snow plowing and remain playable for lacrosse, from a safety standpoint," he said. "We decided that the relatively small risk of not being able to finish the renovation because of weather was worth taking, given the quality of the old surface."
This winter, however, New Hampshire experienced one of its highest snowfalls in history, according to USA Today.
Given the current weather conditions, the renovation to the field has been more complicated than it may appear, according to Austin.
"Some people ask us, 'Why don't you plow it off, and work for a day, plow it off, and work for a day,'" he said. "The field is not completed and by plowing it you risk doing damage to the sub-surface."
The construction crew has already plowed the field four times this year, and to avoid doing further damage to the surface the crew would need about six days of warm, snow-less weather to complete the renovation, he added.
"It's a top priority for all of us now, but we have to do it in a way that protects the long-term stability of the field," he said. "We spent a lot of money on it and we wanna make sure it's done right."
The situation has inconvenienced teams that traditionally practice on the field, according to Chad Gaudet '08, a captain of the men's lacrosse team, who added that the College has made efforts to accommodate athletes who have been affected by the delays.
"The practice situation is different, but we are very fortunate to use Memorial Field, and the Dartmouth facilities crew has done a tremendous job in plowing the field and maintaining it, so we owe them a huge debt of gratitude," Gaudet said.
According to Austin, the date of completion for the renovation is entirely dependant on weather.
"We keep looking out of the windows," he said.
Despite this uncertainty, coaches and players hope that the field will be completed shortly.
"I'd equate the Scully-Fahey situation to the breakup of Van Halen's original lineup in 1985 -- there's a lot of rumors about what went wrong, but no one knows for sure what happened," Gaudet said. "Hopefully, like Van Halen, the field will return this year as well."
Bill Wilson, the head coach of Dartmouth's men's lacrosse team, said that he is looking forward to his team's return to the field.
"We love [Scully-Fahey Field] and will be happy when it's ready," he said.
