Breaking ground for the new athletic complex at Central Maine Community College are, from left, student-athletes Nick L’Heureux, Samantha Belardo, Keara Hunter and Cody Dolloff. The synthetic turf facility will include baseball and softball diamonds and a soccer field. (Submitted photo)

AUBURN — Central Maine Community College is improving its athletic fields, adding lights and a synthetic surface.

The new outdoor athletic complex will be built on the site of the current soccer fields and will include NCAA-sized baseball, softball and soccer field.

The soccer field will overlap the baseball and softball outfields, which will be at opposite ends. The new set up will allow the Mustangs’ baseball and softball teams to play at the same time.

“The new fields will be a tremendous boost to our athletic programs,” CMCC athletic director Dave Gonyea said in a news release. “Currently, the soccer field is not up to collegiate standards, and our baseball and softball teams have to play off campus. This will allow us to schedule all games on our own facility, increase practice time and flexibility, and save on rental fees.”

The lights will increase the availability of the fields and the artificial turf will need less maintenance and not require a resting period, as grass fields do, nor the use of water and pesticides.

The project is expected to begin in the spring and be ready for use during the 2019 fall sports season. C.H. Stevenson, Inc. of Wayne is the general contractor for the project.

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