WATERVILLE -- Colby College football coach Ed Mestieri always looks forward to the upcoming season at this time of year. Now, he and the Mules have the promise of a new field to build the anticipation of the 2008 campaign.

Starting Monday, Colby's Seaverns Field and Alfond Track will be closed for construction, as the facility is due to get $6 million in improvements, including an artificial turf field, a rebuilt track, and lights. The project was made possible by a gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation, and was Harold Alfond's last personal commitment to Colby before his death last November.

The current track was dedicated to Harold and Bibby Alfond in 1988, and hosted the Division III National Championships in 1992.

"This track has held up extremely well. We've been talking about replacing it for the last four or five years," said Deb Aitken, Colby's women's track and field head coach.

"This is coming at the right time."

The project also includes landscaping that features 4- to 5-foot earth beams behind both end zones.

The facility will be closed to the public from Monday until late August, reopening in time for the football season. Colby will join Trinity College of Hartford, Conn.. as the only schools in the New England Small College Athletic Conference to have artificial turf on its football fields.

"All it takes is one bad weather day to ruin the field," Mestieri said.

"That's something we're not going to have to worry about."

While the lights will give the Mules the opportunity to host night games, Mestieri said that with the long travel times for most of Colby's NESCAC opponents, seeing the Mules under the lights on a Saturday night is unlikely.

Other than in-state rivals Bates and Bowdoin, Colby's nearest conference opponent is Tufts, located approximately three hours away in Medford, Mass., outside of Boston.

The lights will give the Mules the option of starting practice later in the day, when more players have fewer academic commitments.

"Maybe at some point someone will suggest (a night game) as a novelty," Mestieri said.

"This gives us the flexibility to get the most kids (to practice)."

The construction shouldn't interfere with the Colby track and field team's ability to prepare for the string of championship meets in May.

The month begins with the New England Division III Championships on May 2-3, and culminates with the NCAA Division III Championships May 22-24. Aitken said construction crews won't begin rebuilding the track until the end of the month.

"It's not going to affect our outdoor track season at all," Aitken said.

"They have a really tight construction schedule, but they realize how important the season is to us," Colby men's track and field head coach Jared Beers said.

Travis Lazarczyk -- 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com