Beverly stadium supporters take battle to the Internet

BEVERLY -- School Superintendent James Hayes's proposal to build a new artificial surface football field at the high school to replace 70-year-old Hurd Stadium has been met with a storm of protests by Beverly residents.

Several longtime football boosters, including former Beverly athletic director Red Hutt, have rejected the idea. And in recent weeks, the battle has moved to the Internet, where a petition to keep Hurd Stadium has attracted hundreds of signatures.

"People would absolutely be crushed to see Hurd go," said Ali Avallon, 19, who started the petition on Jan. 22. Avallon, a 2006 Beverly High School graduate who is a freshman at Framingham State College, e-mailed the petition to friends, who forwarded it to other current and former Beverly residents.

Avallon, a former Beverly High football cheerleader, considers the field hallowed ground. "We all played on it growing up. Our parents and grandparents played on it; we graduated from high school on that field," said Avallon, who plans to present the petition to Mayor William Scanlon Jr. when she gets 1,000 signatures. As of early this week, 821 people from 20 states had signed the petition at thepetitionsite.com.

In a report prepared for the architect who will design the new $65-million academic wing at Beverly High School, Hayes proposed building a new synthetic surface football field and a new track on the high school site.

In an interview last week, Hayes said the proposal would be studied by the Beverly School Building Committee, a group of city officials and residents who will oversee the $65 million project. Hayes also endorsed the idea of selling Hurd to help pay for building the new fields.

"I would support selling the stadium. I would because I see the benefits," said Hayes. He said the School Committee and the City Council would have to approve any decision regarding the stadium's future.

Scanlon said he had yet to take a position. "I simply want the Hurd situation to be carefully studied by the School Building Committee and see what recommendations they have," he said.

The idea of building a new field was greeted with mixed reactions by School Committee president Nancy Brusil and City Council president Paul Guanci. "We'll proceed with the idea of keeping our options open," said Brusil. Guanci was less circumspect, and said he opposed closing or selling Hurd. "I'd like to see it stay where it is. It's like our Fenway Park -- it's tradition," he said.

But Hayes said Hurd is underutilized, and believes that artificial surfaces could be used more frequently by Beverly school teams and organizations. "I think it's in the best interest of the school and the community to create these fields at the high school. Hurd Stadium is a beautiful facility, there's no question about that, but we barely use it 20 dates a year. An all-weather surface can be used many, many times on a daily basis and not have the wear and tear that you have on a grass field," said Hayes.

"It would be on our site where there would be ample parking and easy access from school, so students could use it during the day. We could host tournaments, host championship games, and have marching band competitions. There's a lot more opportunity when you can have a field that can be used more often."

Hurd, which opened in the mid-1930s, is located in the residential Cove neighborhood, about 1.3 miles from the high school on Sohier Road. Set back from Route 22, the stadium has little on-site parking, which leads fans to park on nearby side streets to attend games. While the field has won praise from area football coaches for its upkeep and condition, the stadium offers few amenities. The field house no longer has working showers, and players change into uniform at the high school before games. There are no lights, and the field is used only for high school and Pop Warner football, and for varsity and junior varsity boys' and girls' lacrosse.

Candy Melanson lives near the field on Cedar Street, and can see the games from her back window. Last week, she signed the online petition to save the field. "It's a historic monument," she said. "I'm appalled that they would even think about getting rid of it."

Hutt, the former athletic director, said the field means much more to residents than a place where football and lacrosse is played. He said the tradition of bringing up to 12,000 fans together for an event such as a Thanksgiving game can't be replicated just anywhere. "It's as much a part of Beverly as anything else," he said.

The Beverly High football Panthers were 9-1 last season and won six games at Hurd, including 28-7 over Salem on Thanksgiving.

Hayes said the proposed fields would be built only if the city could afford them. At present, no funds have been allocated from the $65 million school project.

In the fall, Lynn opened Manning Field, replacing another famed local edifice, Manning Bowl, built in 1939. The new facility, which includes an artificial turf field and a running track, will cost $11.3 million when it is completed. The funding for the project included $5 million from the state and $4 million from a 20-year city bond, with the rest from other state grants.