Austin Public Schools will officially start work this spring to install artificial turf on two fields at the Wescott Athletic Complex and to install a seasonal dome.

The Austin Public Schools Board voted five to one to move forward on the $5.2 million project will put two artificial turf fields and a seasonal dome over Art Hass Field during its regular meeting Monday evening, with Mary Jane Kestner opposed and Kathy Green absent.

The project, a partnership with Vision 2020, was announced in November and drew much attention — both positive and negative — from the community. The dome is part of a larger community recreation center project intended to meet community needs. Vision 2020 hired an independent firm to survey the community on recreation needs.

“One of the things that came out pretty loud and clear was people desired some sort of indoor facility that they could use during the winter months for activities like soccer, softball, those types of things,” Finance and Operations Director Mark Stotts said.

The domed field can be used for soccer, softball and baseball practices along with a few softball and soccer games.

Austin Public Schools will contribute $2.5 million from school reserves, and the Hormel Foundation donated $2.7 million, which was approved at the foundation’s Jan. 27 meeting. The school board approved the transfer of the $2.5 million from the Internal Service Fund to the Operating Capital Fund, which was a way to use the money without affecting property taxes.

Stotts noted the district received positive review and comment from the Minnesota Department of Education on Jan. 7, 2015.

Superintendent David Krenz was excited to see the dome get the vote of approval.

“It’s been a long process,” he said. “We got started in May of 2012, so almost three years. So it’s exciting to be able to again partner with the community and really, I think, enhance Austin and what can be provided, not only for our students but for the community as a whole.”

The dome isn’t just about the schools, as it will be open to the community too. The track will continue to be accessible to community members from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, and on a scheduled basis in the evenings. The dome will have a screen to section off the walking area so members can use that during other athletic practices.

“We’re going to make it as accessible to the public as we can,” Stotts said.

The dome will be open to adult and recreational athletic leagues, and the district will likely offset the cost to maintain the athletic complex through rental fees for the updated stadiums. The district has already been contacted by groups from other communities in regards to reserving the space for practices.

“I think the big ‘aha’ will be, what is the demand for usage,” Stotts said. “We know that if we can rent it out 75 percent of the time, we’re going to be able to more than cover our costs and put money aside for field replacement.”

The district has discussed putting artificial turf on the fields for several years, since some sports now require artificial turf for games. The artificial turf on both fields will certainly give Austin an opportunity to host section tournament events, as the Minnesota State High School League now requires all football section title games to be played on turf.

Stotts said it made sense to go ahead with the dome and turf at the same time.

Board member Mary Jane Kestner opposed the vote, but she said her decision was not because of lack of research or hard work.

“My vote tonight doesn’t reflect all your work,” she said to Stotts. “It’s just, my conscious still troubles me.”

Though some in the community have expressed concern about rubber in the turf, Stotts noted research has shown the amount of toxicity in the rubber turf is well within acceptable range.

Board member Don Leathers was also glad the vote passed, saying that having a place like this is educational too.

“I think it’s just a great opportunity for the school district and the community to come together on something that will benefit a lot of shareholders,” Leathers said.

The bids for the project will go out in March or April, and Stotts said the district hopes to break ground this spring. The project is expected to be finished in time for the first football game on Aug. 28.

Stotts said although some people don’t agree with the project, many people are now on board.

“The more people had an opportunity to think about it and see what kinds of things we can do there, we’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback,” he said.