USD 234 board members and leadership held a kick-off celebration Friday evening to celebrate the recent completion of the renovated Frary Field, part of the bond package approved in November of 2014.

With the start of the school year and the Fort Scott football teams playing red and white games before their season starts in the next week, the field was finished just in time as members of the community came to the ceremony, where the new artificial turf, lighting, fence and other additions were displayed.

Superintendent Bob Beckham admitted there were different opinions on the bond package and how that funding would be spent, but said they are happy with the results so far.

“Those mixed emotions have been replaced with excitement,” Beckham said as he pointed out the new surface of the field. “Isn’t that beautiful?”

Board of education president Jordan Witt said it is because of the support of the Fort Scott community that the field improvements were made possible. But while celebrating the football field that evening, Witt said there will be more to come in the years ahead.

“It’s an extremely exciting night,” Witt said. “And I can promise you that this is just the beginning.”

USD 234 senior Garrett Tatro and Trenton Toth, fourth grade, were also able to address those attending the ceremony and expressed their appreciation for the investments made in their schools as well as current and future students.

“It was a vote not just for us but for the future,” Tatro said, saying he is grateful for it on behalf of his younger brother.

Representatives from partnering businesses involved in the project, including Ed Carlson, senior architect of Hollis + Miller Architects, and Jon Pahl, executive president of Nabholz Construction, also spoke, expressing their pleasure in participating in the work completed.

The ceremony was followed by red and white scrimmage games for the freshmen, junior varsity and varsity football teams as well as demonstrations from the cheer and dance teams.