The first shovels of dirt have been moved for the Lisbon sports complex, located in the Meyers Meadow properties that purchased by the city nearly three years ago.
Lisa Burch with YTT Engineering, as well as Joe Digman, engineer on the project, were among the officials moving shovels of dirt in a photo opportunity June 21.
Adjacent landowners may see some heavy equipment moving over the fields in the coming days and weeks, as crews work at leveling and grading the field for the appropriate slope for soccer and baseball.
There will also be infrastructure expansion to the park, including work on the Third Avenue water and sewer pipes tied into the expansion of this project, and a new well to help service the north portion of town located near the sporting complex and nature park facilities the city is constructing.
Grading work on the project is slated to begin this summer and continue into the fall, stopping when the ground freezes. YTT and contractors will finish seeding the fields in early spring if they do not have enough time to get the seeding completed this fall, with the first games to be potentially played on the fields in fall 2023.
The bids also include a chip and dip parking area connected off of Third Avenue for event parking.
The first phase of the project has come at a $1.3 million estimated price tag, and was approved by the city at the May 9 council meeting.
Moving the first shovels of dirt includes: Braeden Watson with David Schmitt construction, Lisbon public works crew members Chris Rodman and Travis Bagby, council member John Bardsley, Lisa Burch with YTT Engineering, council member Mike Williams, Joe Digman with YTT, city administrator Brandon Siggins, public works crew member Jake Siggins and parks and recreation director Drayton Kamberling.