By Nate Tashjy
Staff Writer

Five years ago at a town meeting, Gus Bickford and Jim Geraghty approached the Westford Comunitee Presentation Commission with the proposal of adding turf fields to Westford.

With the help of chairman Ken Hanley, lacrosse parents Jim Oliver and Brad Welch, and high school Principal Jim Antonelli, the turf field project is almost complete. The turf fields are supposed to be ready to go at the beginning of the 2011 school year, with three fields being put in.

One field will be put in at Westford Academy’s Alumni Stadium, while the other two will be on Nutting road. The fields on Nutting road will be used primary for youth lacrosse, which donated $75,000, and youth soccer, which donated $85,000.

The turf fields project also used fund-raisers to collect money for the fields, such as concerts, dinners, and raffles.

New athletic director, Dan Twomey, is organizing an upcoming ‘Call-A-Thon’ where athletes will call houses asking for donations.

Principal Antonelli says, “It helps to level the playing field, that’s kind of the coin phrase that we use. As most of you athletes are seeing in the communities- Concord- Carlisle, Wayland, Lincoln- Sudbury, they all have the turf fields, and the speed is different on turf. I think we’re at a disadvantage at this point.”