Given the winds that raked Brighton March 31, it was a good thing that crews removed a number of trees from an area near Eagle Ridge Academy’s new on-site soccer field.

Representatives from the school, the city of Brighton and the school district sat outside ERA for what was a very short update on the progress of the stadium. It’s just outside the former main entrance to the school and became possible as a result of a recent voter-approved mill levy.

“This is a huge milestone for us,” said ERA head of school Scott Richardson. “It’s a big improvement. It’s a monumental occasion for us.”

The Warriors have not been able to host a home soccer match for 12 seasons. That will change Thursday, April 27, according to school officials. Richardson took time to outline some of the advantages and future changes because of the stadium.

“It will put a lot of our fears at ease about who is coming into the school,” he said. “It will provide better vision for the people who are coming onto campus. We’re going to move the existing office (to the west side of the building). We’ll put four classrooms where the front desk was. We’re going to improve the capacity of our cafetorium, and we’re going to be able to make some improvements to our drama program.”

Two new conference rooms are part of the upgrades, as is a new public-address system.

Richardson said grass was to have been installed on the playing surface early this week.