By JESSICA SIEFF
Niles Daily Star

It was back in February when Brandywine School Superintendent John Jarpe, Niles Charter Township Supervisor Jim Kidwell and Marv Selge, owner of Selge Construction Co., broke ground on a new athletic complex at the Brandywine Middle School/High School.

The complex plan would consist of a redesigned soccer field, football field and track with a designated area for field sports.

What was, at one time, a muddy patch of upturned earth is now reimagined.

New plants line the walkway that leads out to the stands overlooking the football field, affixed with a new scoreboard and of course, the freshly painted track.

It was a group of volunteer hands that are responsible for the landscaping “we had (about) 25 volunteers,” said Jarpe.

In fact, the entire complex is a combination of hard work and volunteered service by a community that will see the kick off of the first football game of the season take place on the brand new field.

“The irrigation system, everything that sprinkles the field, these plantings,” is a result of some amount of work or time put forth by hardworking volunteers, Jarpe said.
So there will be a little celebration.

On Friday night, before kick off, Brandywine will host a dedication event of the athletic complex.

Kick off is at 7 p.m. and the dedication will begin, Jarpe said, around 6 p.m.

Admission is free to any member of the Brandywine community.

Community feedback has been good on the project, said Jarpe.

“People, first of all, they like the quality of the track…” he said. “More than anything they’re just mainly happy that we have a track. It’s been so long coming.”

Jarpe said it has been close to 15 years since the school was able to host a track meet on its home turf.

This season, that will change.

Already, the superintendent said, he’s seen people utilizing the track, about half a dozen jogging or walking on what he called the track’s “high quality” surface over the weekend.
The complex was funded through money set aside especially for the project along with funds left over from another construction project within the school system.

For his part, Selge donated the cost of equipment to the project.

The idea started about a year ago, Jarpe said. Construction had started in February of this year and the final bits of work were being completed over the last several weeks.

At the dedication, Jarpe said he and Brandywine Schools president of the board of directors Jim Curran would each give their own address along with special guest Charlie Adams.

Jarpe said he also hopes to recognize former Brandywine athletes and the alumni band will be featured at halftime.