HELLAS STEPS UP IN BIG FOOT COUNTRY WITH $7.8M DESIGN-BUILD PROJECT

Walworth, WI (April 24, 2019) – What started as just a dream in 2014, will soon be a reality for the Chiefs of Big Foot High School in Walworth, Wisconsin. The Big Foot Union High School District hired Hellas Construction for a complete renovation to its 37 years old sports complex including football, baseball, softball, track and tennis courts.

School Administrator Doug Parker said, “I was a freshman at Big Foot when this complex was first built. Now, I will be the district administrator when the new complex is built. It's truly an honor to give back to the community that gave so much to me and my family.” Parker was hired in July of 2017 by the board of education to make this dream a reality. He believes sports is an integral part of education, just like academics, the arts, and other activities. Parker says “Sports provide structure, organization, health and wellness, teamwork, problem-solving, and builds life skills. Research shows that kids that get involved in activities do better academically and socially. We take great pride in providing a well-rounded education for our students.”

Phase I will be the renovations to the football/soccer stadium plus practice fields, adding Hellas’ Matrix® turf, plus home bleachers, new concession/restrooms, sports lighting, arched entry gates with ticket booth and parking lot. Hellas will also renovate the running track surface with S200 epiQ Tracks®, two additional post-tension tennis courts, sports lighting to the existing six courts with Hellas TPS® court surfacing.

They had multiple focus groups of stakeholders working together to mold a plan into what is the current rendering. Big Foot Athletic Director Tim Collins said, “It’s a dream come true. It hasn’t really hit me yet. I can’t believe in August we will be standing here on a brand-new field.” Phase II will be the building of a new quadplex with two baseball fields and two softball fields. All the fields will have Major Play® Matrix® synthetic turf infields and natural grass outfields, new bleachers, concession/restrooms, & sports lighting.

Collins has been with the district for 19 years and has been waiting patiently for the next referendum to be able to bring these projects up for vote. He started looking at the National AD Convention back in 2017 in Phoenix, stopping by the Hellas Construction tradeshow booth. Collins chose Hellas for many reasons saying, “We toured some fields and were very impressed with what we saw. I also liked the fact that Hellas was a design-build company. They would be able to do everything from design to installation, saving us from having to deal with multiple contractors and saving us money on fees.”

Parker said, “Price and quality of product. After comprehensive research, site visits, and reference checks it was obvious that Hellas had the best turf and track products and they could deliver our project within our budget with great quality. We also love their customer service and responsiveness.” District officials toured some notable Hellas projects including the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium plus the Cowboys practice facility at The Star in Frisco. “These fields are going to be used by many. Physical Education classes will be able to use the fields. The youth baseball and softball leagues will play three games a week. Even the tennis courts will be used by the community. We are having pickleball lines added to the tennis courts. So, the community will also benefit from these facilities.”

Hellas is the official turf provider of the Dallas Cowboys and the Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research Facility at The Star in Frisco. Hellas is the preferred turf provider of the Houston Texans and Methodist Training Center. Hellas is the exclusive turf provider of the Jacksonville Jaguars and official partner with the Miami Dolphins. Hellas is a proud partner of the Raiders and the official artificial turf provider of their new Las Vegas Stadium.

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