Longtime Kents Hill benefactor Harold Alfond has pledged $2.7 million to Kents Hill School for the construction of a lighted turf field development next to the Alfond Athletics Center, the school announced Tuesday in a press release.

The area will consist of two full-size turf fields with lights, and baseball and softball diamonds. Construction by the Northeast Turf Inc. will begin on the fields in mid-November.

The project also includes an additional set of locker rooms and storage facilities for the Alfond Athletics Center. Alfond’s last gift of $3.5 million (with his son Ted Alfond, Kents Hill Class of 1964) helped to build the Harold and Ted Alfond Athletics Center, named in their honor.

This gift comes as the Kents Hill Board of Trustees approved five new projects for the school: an addition to and renovation of the Dunn Science Center, a new Learning Skills Center, the Turf Field Development, the conversion of Newton Gymnasium into a Fine Arts Center and improvements to the O’Connor Alpine Center.

“This is once more an extraordinary gift to the school by an extraordinary man, one of the great philanthropists of our time,” Kents Hill Headmaster Rist Bonnefond said. “The Alfond family has taken a tremendous interest in developing the facilities at Kents Hill School into the finest in New England. To this end, as other donations for the turf fields are received, Mr. Alfond has agreed that corresponding amounts from his pledge can be redirected to the other Kents Hill projects. For this we are deeply grateful.”

Athletic Director Jim Smucker said the turf fields will transform Kents Hill’s athletic program, much as the Alfond Athletics Center did when it opened in 2001.

“This will elevate and strengthen our athletic programs in many, many ways. Many schools are now playing on turf, and our teams will be able to match them, ability for ability. In addition, we will be able to practice outdoors earlier in the spring, and we will no longer have to juggle fields in order to accommodate all of our teams. We look forward to playing night games and hosting a variety of student activities. The entire school will benefit.”

Kents Hill Student Body President Patrick McAleer of Bangor echoed Smucker’s sentiments.

“I am thrilled to hear about Mr. Alfond’s amazing gift; it will provide us the boost necessary to bring our athletics to the next level, thereby enhancing not only our athletics program, but our entire school community,” he said. “The whole school is excited.”