RIPON – Cole Herrin had no problem getting his hands dirty Thursday morning.

The Ripon High School junior joined a group of his fellow varsity football players and volunteers in a pre-Arbor Day planting ceremony that ended with seven redwood seedlings going into the ground in the southeast corner of Stouffer Field.

And then he watched with bated breath as a cross-section of the community turned the first shovels of dirt to kick off the overhaul of the community’s lone stadium. It was the first signs of progress after a five-year fundraising and awareness effort started by a local non-profit group.

It’s only a matter of time before Herrin will be making a dash toward the redwoods on a Friday night.

“There was so much work that went in to getting to this point and it’s great to see it coming to fruition,” said Herrin – noting that student-athletes even got involved by attending council meetings and helping with fundraising efforts. “It’s a good feeling knowing that this is going to get done. All of the donations from people helped make this possible. This is a community stadium and it’s going to be great playing on it.”

The Ripon Community Athletic Fund spearheaded by Stephanie Hobbs undertook the massive fundraising effort to gather the finances needed to transform the iconic stadium into a modern facility that will benefit future generations.

But while things started off with a bang the recession ultimately hit while the movement was getting off the ground, making it difficult for Hobbs and her team of parents and coaches to reach the target goal that would have made an artificial field surface possible.

So they compromised. A new natural grass field, a touched up track and the plumbing and electrical needed to construct new bathrooms will be added during the first phase of construction expected to be finished by the end of the summer. An all-weather track will be added later and new bleachers will ultimately round out the construction.

It was a single donation, however, that grabbed most of the attention Thursday morning.

After meeting Hobbs at a Ripon Chamber of Commerce mixer, PG&E Public Affairs Supervisor Anna Brooks committed the company to donate and install a state-of-the-art LED scoreboard – valued at $87,000 – that will serve as a landmark for not only those seated in the stadium but also those passing by on Highway 99.

With the capability to show video clips and advertisements, the scoreboard will also be able to generate revenue for the RCAF by appealing to highway traffic.

“As members of the community, we recognize the importance of revitalizing Ripon High School’s stadium and we are proud to partner with the RCAF to make this dream a reality,” Brooks said. “In addition to sponsoring the state-of-the-art scoreboard, we look forward to future PG&E employee volunteer opportunities at the site.”

Hobbs – who took to grant writing to try and secure funding and even lobbied the city council for redevelopment funds – said that she isn’t going to be taking time off now that the first phase of the project has officially begun.

Stopping something that has been such a big part of her life, she said, isn’t in the cards.

“I’m such a doer, and I still feel like there’s much to be done,” she said. “Now that I see this here today I want to work even harder.

“And while I thought that the scoreboard was a bunny trail at first, I can now see that it’s one of the critical components of this project. It’s something that the community is really going to be proud of. We’re grateful for the donation and can’t wait to see everything when it wraps up this summer.”