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Whatever the costs, and however long it took, nobody can say the new Manning Field is sitting there idle now that it's complete.

The field, which finally became fully operational in time for the fall high school sports season, isn't anywhere near ready for a rest.

The field will host an MIAA Eastern Massachusetts soccer doubleheader tonight. First up is the state Division 3 girls soccer semifinal, with Newburyport playing Cohasset, at 5 p.m.

Immediately following, at 7 p.m., is the Division 1 boys state semifinal, with Framingham -- which defeated St. John's Prep Sunday -- playing Brockton.

Tickets are $7 for adults, and $5 for seniors and students.

That's not all, however. Site director John Kasian of the Lynn Community Development Office confirmed Monday that the field will be used for an Eastern Mass. football playoff doubleheader on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

"It'll be a few more days before the final pairings (are) unveiled and made public," Kasian said. "But it looks as if we're getting some love from the MIAA."

The field, with its 4,000 capacity, would figure to play a prominent role in the MIAA's plans for postseason play. For one thing, it has state-of-the-art artificial turf. That is essential in case of unseasonably cold weather, where a natural surface would tend to freeze and be hampered by the unevenness of the field due to wear and tear.

The new facility also has ample parking, not only off Ford Street but along Locust Street as well.

And it has ample room in its press box for media that would want to cover the game, and for coaches who need to be up high to call plays and see the whole field.

Although the field was only fully operational this year, it saw plenty of use while it was being constructed.

LYNN - A total of nine cracks, or hairline fractures, have been identified in the brick facade of the new, $12 million Manning Field stadium - only weeks after it officially opened.

According to Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan, the cracks are easily repaired and should not be a major concern to the public.

"We have an architect looking at the cracks now but at no point did people say, stop - we have a problem here," he said. "It is a concern, but it's not a monumental one."

Donovan said some of the cracks in the facade might be due to the structural element, the design, thermal stress or a construction error in the project, but at this point, the cause remains unknown.

"We just don't know right now, but they are common in new construction and I can point them out in any building that is being built," he said. "This is basically an aesthetic thing because if you take out the bricks, the structure will still stand up."

Having officially opened Monday, Sept. 8, the top-of-the-line facility has been in use since 2006 as the replacement of the former Manning Bowl.

In all, 4,000 permanent seats, a new parking lot, press box and numerous other bells and whistles make up the stadium.

City officials are in the midst of discussing whether a ticket surcharge up to 50 cents could be tacked on to the cost of attending a game to pay for upkeep and maintenance of the stadium, but a decision has yet to be made.

While Donovan stressed the cracks are not due to existing moisture and do not pose a safety hazard, the problem has raised a few eyebrows.

"We're still scratching our heads as to why this happened," he said. "There may be many different reasons for the cracks and that is why we have design engineers looking at it. If it is due to the contractor, we will have him fix it. If it's due to a non-structural flaw, we may still have the contractor fix it or replace the bricks ourselves."

Aside from the cracks, Donovan said there are eight other items on the city's checklist to fix and/or finish, including several minor roof leaks and patching.

"The contractor is whittling them down," he said.

LYNN -- When Manning Field opened in the fall of 2006, it featured a beautiful new turf field and a top-notch track, but little else.

The city brought in temporary stands and portable bathrooms, so the high schools and youth football teams could start enjoying the facility, but there was still plenty of work to be done. Contractors spent the last two years building the locker room/concession stand/press box building, as well as installing the permanent seating for 4,000 and a new parking area.

On Monday, the city celebrated the completion of the $12 million project with an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony. Football players, soccer players and cheerleaders from Classical, English, Tech and St. Mary's were on hand for the festivities, along with the Lynn Public Schools Band, the English High Junior ROTC and the many city officials and Manning Field Commission members who played a role in seeing the project through to its completion.

All those who spoke, including Mayor Edward "Chip" Clancy, Manning Field Commission Chairman Kevin Coppinger, Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Kostan, City Council President J. Timothy Phelan, State Sen. Thomas M. McGee and former State Sen. Walter Boverini and Monsignor Paul V. Garrity, had a similar message.

They spoke of how difficult a decision it was to tear down the old Manning Bowl, how controversial some of the decisions were that had to be made in the process, and how important it was to build a top-of-the line facility that would be the city's new crown jewel, as Manning Bowl had been when it was built some 67 years ago.

"We had to replace Manning Bowl with something that people will remember, and I think we did a good job," Coppinger said.

Coppinger said one of the keys to getting it right was in visiting as many similar facilities as possible and determining what worked and what didn't work. He said it was also important to have input from those with different areas of expertise, whether it was football, track, lacrosse, soccer and even baseball people.

"Everyone came from a little different angle," he said.

Clancy talked about how difficult it was deciding it was time for Manning Bowl to come down.

"Everyone said the same thing. Manning Bowl was 67 years old. It was an icon, but it was falling apart. It was allowed to disintegrate. We were putting more and more into it. It was getting to be like me going to the hair transplant guy," Clancy said. "Now Lynn has the best facility. Not a second-tier facility. Not a third-tier facility. We have the best."

In his ribbon-cutting remarks, Clancy said he's been accused of not being a visionary, acknowledged that may be the case at times, but said the Manning Field Commission worked tirelessly making sure its vision was realized.

City Council president Phelan said Clancy was a leader in getting the facility built and now the city had something great for the next several generations of children in Lynn.

Manning Commission member John Kasian, a facilities manager in the city's Office of Economic Development; Mike Donovan, director of inspectional services in the city; and Edward Calnan, the clerk of the works, were among those praised by city officials for helping bring the project to fruition.

Kasian, who takes care of the day-to-day operations at the facility, said it was particularly gratifying seeing the 500-plus fall sport athletes, cheerleaders and band members taking part in the ceremony because they're the ones who will be enjoying the new facility. He said it's great to see their faces and those of the athletes from visiting schools when they see the field.

Both Clancy and Kasian said the next step will be finding a way to ensure there is a funding source in place to ensure capital improvements can be made at the facility when needed so it doesn't fall into disrepair. Kasian said that may include advertising or sponsorships.

In addition to serving the Lynn high schools and youth sports groups, Kasian said he's hoping to see more MIAA events at Manning Field, along with special events like Drum and Bugle Corps competitions and possibly collegiate or high-level amateur events.

Although the bulk of the work is done, there are a few things that aren't quite ready, including outfitting the concession stand and constructing a separate storage building.

LYNN - The long awaited completion of Manning Field, the successor to Manning Bowl, which was demolished in 2005, is reportedly right around the corner.

Although it was originally slated to be finished in May, Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan said the completion date is now set for July 1.

"It's really coming along, and we're pretty much all done," he said. "We just have to install the aluminum windows and do the final painting on the press box."

Donovan said minor theft of the bleachers occurred and the city had to purchase more materials to complete the seats.

"Some of the aluminum and galvanized steel went missing, and it wasn't enough to even report to the police," he said. "We also had some missing from the factory."

In regards to spending, Donovan said it was a struggle, but the city remained on track.

Funding for the project included $4.18 million in bonds from the city; a state grant of $5 million; a Brownfields grant of $70,000; a state Brownfields earmark of $200,000; a self-help grant from the state for $500,000; $680,000 from the sale of the Joseph Devlin Nursing Home and other small amounts totaling $250,000, according to Donovan.

Quirk Construction of Georgetown installed lighting and laid down the track and field at a cost of $3.2 million for the first phase of the project.

J & J Contractors handled the second phase of the project, which included the installation of over 4,000 bleacher seats, a field house, locker room, concession stand, restrooms, office space and a press box.

Donovan said the city is handling the third phase of the project, which includes a multitude of minor tasks such as wiring for telephones, and installing the public announcement system.

"There is a track meet scheduled at the field in the next couple of weeks and everything will officially be open for the football season in the fall," he said. "All the big stuff is done, and we're ready to push the ball over the goal line."

The field is located behind Fraser Field and borders Western Avenue, Locust and Ford streets.

The Manning Field building project is starting to come together and with some cooperation from Mother Nature and no surprises on any other fronts, the structure should be substantially completed sometime between mid-April and mid-May.

Community Development's John Kasian said the spring sports teams will have use of the field and the track and the permanent stands will be in place on the Locust Street side. He said the portable bathrooms would still be necessary, at least for the first few weeks of the season. The spring sports season begins Monday, March 17, which is the first official day of practice. The first scheduled league lacrosse game at the field will be March 31.

At this point, the building is actually two separate structures with three-story shafts on each. Once the building is complete, the two buildings will be connected at the third floor level by a press box. According to Kasian, there will also be a trestle connecting the two buildings at the second-floor level.

Those who need handicapped access will be able to reach the lower level of the stands using ramps and the upper level (on the parking lot side of the field) using the elevator, which will be located in the shaft on the Ford Street side.

Anyone driving down Locust Street these days would see the shaft sections of both buildings shrouded by tarps that allow the construction people to complete the masonry work somewhat protected from the elements.

"You can see it's really moving along," Kasian said about the building progress.

Although the parking lot won't be paved under the current phase of the job, it will be usable when the North Shore Navigators, the new baseball team that will call Fraser Field home this summer, start their season in early June, Kasian said.

Kasian said the Navigators and the visiting team will be allowed to use the team rooms on the first floor of the new building. That level will also include a concession stand, office and bathrooms. There will be more bathrooms on the second floor as well and the press box will be on the third floor.

Although there will be shower facilities for the officials, there are none in the team rooms, Kasian said.

Kasian said the stands on the parking lot side of the field, in front of the building, will go up after the stands on the Locust Street side. The overall project will also include a prefabricated storage building, but that won't be done until after the spring season.

Manning Field Construction Moving Along
By Jill Casey, The Daily Item of Lynn, Thursday, June 1, 2006

LYNN - Despite record rainfall last month, Phase 1 of the Manning Field construction project is only a few days behind and will be ready for football season in the fall, according to Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan.
     Because setbacks are built into the contract, the 2-3 days lost during the week of the floods is not considered a major delay, according to Donovan.
    "The contractor has not indicated that he is behind," Donovan said. "Essentially, we're fairly on track for mid-September."
     Work began on April 13 and officials anticipate contractors with Quirk Construction of Georgetown will install the track in July, and the playing surface in August.
     Although contractors will still be working in October, finishing landscaping and fence work, local football teams will be playing on the new field in September.
     Donovan said with the exception of wet weather, the project is going smoothly and better than originally anticipated. Planners originally thought the topsoil would have to be replaced, but that was not the case.
     In May, a good portion of the month was spent relocating trailers and redesigning the driveway to the North Shore Spirit field. Donovan said the bulk of that work is now complete and went as planned.
     Contractors are continuing to prepare the field for the installation of the track and playing in field.
     This is the first phase of the $11 million project to redesign the former Manning Bowl, which stood on the site for 66 years before it was demolished last year. The first phase is slated to cost close to $4 million.

Senate's Budget Includes Money for New Manning Bowl
By James Haynes
Thursday, November 24, 2005

LYNN - Money earmarked for the Manning Field has cleared a second procedural hurdle, with members of the state Senate approving a supplementary budget that includes $5 million for the stadium.
State senators approved their version of the 2005 supplemental budget Tuesday afternoon, including $5 million for the new Manning Field in a $12.1 million Department of Housing and Community Development line item.
"I was able to convince my colleagues of the importance of the project and got some more money into the senate version," said state Sen. Thomas McGee. "I was very happy to get some success with this. It's very important for the kids in our community. And the Senate has been working with our colleagues in the House to see this through."
The Senate language more than doubles the amount set aside in the October copy of the House's budget. In that version, local delegates were able to secure $2 million in direct funding for construction and $200,000 for brownfield cleanup - which the city would use to remediate soil contamination on the site.

The supplementary budget goes to conference committee next, and any cash for the facility must cross the desk of Gov. Mitt Romney without being vetoed. The latter is a significant step, as Romney squashed $2 million set aside for the 66-year-old Manning Bowl in last year's supplementary budget.
City officials, however, greeted the Senate budget with cautious optimism.
"This is another big step in the financing process. The House has come through and now the Senate has come through too. From here we will work with our state legislators as it goes to conference committee and to the governor for his signature," said James Marsh, chief of staff for Mayor Edward Clancy. "Between the state, city and funding resources such as Urban Self Help Grants and the National Football League we are all working together to make this a reality."

$1M Trimmed off Manning Field Project
By James Haynes, The Daily Item of Lynn, Wednesday, November 16, 2005

LYNN - After months of estimates, rough figures and best guesses, city officials have hard numbers on the Manning Field project.
Members of the Manning Field Commission recommended pruning nearly a million dollars worth of amenities from a $12.2 million design development estimate presented by project architects last Thursday, in an attempt to shrink the price tag back within the city's $11.3 million budget, said committee chairman Deputy Police Chief Kevin Coppinger.
"We have an $11.3 million budget. That's what we told the mayor, it's what we told the council. That's the number we are looking at to build this project," Coppinger said. "There were things that the architects threw at us that - I wouldn't call them luxury items - that were features not critical to the project. We'll still be able to build what we believe is a first-class facility."
Construction cost estimates, for both phases of the project, set the field and track construction of phase one at approximately $3.8 million and subsequent construction of the main building projected to cost $6.1 million.
The total estimate exceeds the budgeted construction cost of $9.1 million, and additional expenses around the construction drove total cost to the $12.2 million mark.
Given the overrun, committee members examined potential reductions in earthwork, utility, site lighting, landscaping, parking and site improvements, culling approximately $918,000 from the total.
"The committee decided to defer all cost reductions presented to phase two future work, except ornamental fencing, ornamental piers, retaining walls concrete stair and walk at entrance and $50,000 of landscaping," read minutes from the Nov. 10 committee meeting.
The itemized estimate may answer oft-repeated demands for solid numbers from several city councilors -most notably Charles O'Brien. Coppinger said copies of the document were issued to Mayor Edward Clancy's office and Inspectional Services Chief Michael Donovan last week, and that copies will be forwarded to the Council office this week.
"We promised (Councilor O'Brien) that we would return (when we had good numbers), and we're still trying to tie up a few loose strings on this," Coppinger said. "There's still a lot of work to do, but we did promise the councilor we'd get back to him and answer his questions."
Bidding on construction isn't expected to begin until after the New Year.
Although the committee is still crossing its collective fingers that exemptions to state standards for washroom facilities will make the final version of this fall's state supplementary budget, Coppinger said planners are going forward on the presumptionthat "we own the toilets" - an estimated $600,000 cost the city had hoped to avoid.
City officials are also looking to the State House this fall to see if $2 million for the project, included in the House version of the supplementary budget, clears the governor's desk intact.
"We've got about $4.2 million in bond money, and we're still going after grants," said James Marsh, Clancy's chief of staff. "We were successful in capturing the Urban Self Help grant and recently made our pitch to the NFL. Now we're waiting to see what happens at state level."