PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — It’s not just Reser Stadium that has new features this year in the state of Oregon.

In fact, for Lincoln High, their entire stadium is brand new.

For three years Lincoln High was without a field while a new school was built on their old field. Then their old school was demolished on what would be the new field — and then a new stadium built on that ground.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Lincoln High Principal Peyton Chapman. “We tried to build for the next 100 years, so no matter what the need would be, we could be flexible.”

One of the most noticeable features when you walk onto the field is actually when you look down.

Instead of the normal rubber you find mixed into turf, Lincoln went with a wooden material called BrockFill. It’s the first field in Oregon that features the innovative product.

“It’s renewable, organic, non-toxic turf infill. It’s actually made from wood. It’s engineered wood particles. They’re baked and kiln dried up to 700 degrees,” said Erik Gerding, who is a senior project manager at Portland Public Schools. “One of the safety factors of this field and this material is that the field is a lot cooler than the usual rubber infill. It could be 20-30 degrees cooler on a really hot day.”

That heat that the rubber particles gave off was actually so much of an issue at the previous field that sometimes the school would have to cancel practice because the turf was simply too hot. By the way, don’t worry about the wood getting soggy in the rain, as the particles are hydrophilic and will absorb moisture from rain and condensation.

Right beyond the field is a track that is also unique.

“The track is really special because our track-and-field athletes all across the PIL can qualify for pre-Olympic and Olympic Trials, so it’s that standard in grade,” said Chapman.

“The track meets World Athletic standards which means we can hold any level of track meet here at Lincoln,” added Gerding.

With the high school being right next to downtown, every single bit of land must be utilized in a project like this, as it’s at a premium.

One of the first examples of that is the field service building, which holds gear for all teams.

Instead of making it one level, the school decided to make it two and put batting cages for the softball and baseball teams on the second story. Those two teams do not have fields on school grounds, so to have somewhere to get in work now is paramount for both programs.

Just to the right of the stands is another example.

“It’s huge because you can have four levels of girls soccer, four levels of boys soccer, marching band, color guard, football teams, and you just need more spaces,” said Chapman of the 45-yard practice field, which is the first practice field the school has had.

The school also put a giant concrete wall on a side of the field for the lacrosse team to use as a practice wall.

Right next to the practice field is the school’s rose gardens, which were replanted from the old grounds. There is also a wall in the garden that honors every one of the school’s Rose Festival queens.

Looking up looks a bit different as well at Mike Walsh Field.

The lights are much more high tech than the ones you traditionally see at a high school stadium. That’s due to updated building codes that don’t allow light to shine over the property line.

“We’ve tested the lights here at night, and it is pretty amazing to see how well we can light up the field, and it doesn’t light up the neighborhood,” said Gerding. “They can also be controlled by an app with an athletic director. They can turn the lights on when they need to and turn them off.”

“They shouldn’t keep anyone awake past 9 o’clock if they’re not wanting to be awake past 9 o’clock, which is a big change,” added Chapman.

The stadium will have its first official event on Monday, August 28, as girls’ soccer hosts Sunset. The first football game is Friday, September 8 against Newberg.

“It’s just so beautiful,” said Chapman as she looked out on the field from on top of the stands. “I don’t know of another urban field that has a vertical school and then has these kinds of the quality amenities.”