Athletic fields under construction at Sheppard Published Jan. 18, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Tonnette Thompson 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The telltale signs of construction are popping up all over Sheppard. A backhoe depositing huge mounds of earth onto the ground as it creates a growing chasm. Workers crowd around blueprints and maps discussing the end product. The entire spectacle is surrounded by orange traffic cones connected with loops of yellow caution tape. Currently, such commotion is taking place along Missile Road near the Combat Arms Training Facility. New athletics fields and softball fields are under construction for Team Sheppard's recreational use. The project is funded through Simplified Acquisition Base Engineering Requirements. Officials broke ground on the project in mid-November, and should be completed sometime in March. Crews are presently leveling the grounds to allow installation of necessities such as fencing, dugouts, bathrooms and parking areas. "The cost is somewhere in the range of $700,000," said Doug Jansing, chief of engineering, 82nd Civil Engineer Squadron. Like other base installations, the fields' maintenance will fall under the 82nd CES, though primary responsibility for the fields will belong to the 82nd Services Squadron.