Finally having a field day

Soon, fans will be able to enjoy the game without the pain of splinters after the long-awaited revamp of Memorial Field is completed — the last stage in an $18.5-million, three-phase capital improvement project designed to modernize decrepit athletic facilities at Jordan Middle School, and Burbank and Burroughs high schools.

John Burroughs High School has for too long labored under the dreary shadow of a field and stadium that hark back to the old days a little too much. But the community of the past has played a big part in ensuring the future of this asset.

The Cusumano family — which has had more than a dozen members graduate from Burroughs — the Burbank Health Foundation and the Walt Disney Co. all donated a collective $550,000, and the Celebrate Gratitude Committee raised more than $700,000 for the project jointly funded by the city and school district.

This is truly a community effort and one that the city will be able to collectively celebrate upon its completion.