By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – The village board gave final approval Tuesday, Oct. 22, for the Green Bay Packers to construct a 20×25-foot addition on an existing storage building to heat Clarke Hinkle Field.
Community Development Director Aaron Schuette said practice equipment storage will be moved to the new addition and the existing building space will used to house a new boiler to heat the field adjacent to that building.
Schuette said the entire building will be sided with an insulated metal wall panel utilizing concealed fasteners that will have a precast finish.
He said the building will also have a 3-foot masonry veneer wainscoting as required by the village code.
The site plan required final approval by the board because it is located in the Sports and Entertainment zoning district.
The plans submitted to the village also show a piping system being installed underneath the field for heating.
Schuette said work on the field was able to take place before board approval because the site plan dealt with the building addition.
Aaron Popkey, Packers director of public affairs, said the heating will allow the field to be used later in the year.
“This is overall field upgrade work we’ve been working on the last few years and continuing into the future…,” Popkey said. “We’re replacing the (outdoor practice) fields with the same surface we’ve had at Lambeau (Field).”
Though the other practice field to the east of the Don Hudson Center, Ray Nitschke Field, already is heated, Popkey said Clarke Hinkle Field will have the heating system installed underneath when that field is replaced to also extend its use later into the year.