The man whose name is on Belpre's stadium, has come to realize in recent years that it's begun to fall behind similar facilities with its lighting infrastructure.

"We were very comparable with other schools, and now other schiools have passed us in modern facilities with the help of the state," says retired, long-time football coach Ralph Holder. "We have been able to make this a public project, and the citizens of Belpre have come through to give us the funding."

Belpre is now catching up, with plans within the next month to install lighting comparable with that found in both Parkersburg high school stadiums, and in the city's own Civitan Park. It will replace lighting sitting on poles like these...poles deteriorating to the point of condemnation.

"Next week, we will be pouring the basis for these poles, A.E.P. is coming in to remove all the old material, in the latter part of this week," says Greg Adams, who began the fundraising drive three months ago. "So we're on schedule, our first game is away, and that helps us a little bit, and we should have the new poles for our first game."

But these aren't the only Belpre athletic facilities in need of repair or replacement. money left over when the lights are paid for, is likely to be used for those improvements.

"We need repair or replacement of our bleachers," says School Superintendent Harry Fleming, "this track needs to be reconditioned, the field needs to be recrowned. There's a lot of work yet to be done on this one facility."

Roughly $60,000 has been raised toward the $80,000 lighting project.

"The theme this year for our Homecoming is 'Unity in Our Community'," notes Mayor Mike Lorentz. "And what better way can we show this than by what's happened here? We've got a group of people from our community, businesses and even people from across the river came forward to make this stadium work for this fall."

The new lighting will also benefit the school soccer and track teams, and any other athletic teams which regularly use the facility.