It's been a long time coming and Thursday a groundbreaking ceremony was held to kick off a renovation project for the Thomas Jefferson High School field in East New York.

The football field has been in need of repair for years. Members of the community say they are happy to see that what they have been asking for is finally happening.

Officials say the field has been in such bad shape it had to be condemned.

New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks, elected officials, school staff and students celebrated the first step of the project. They say this renovation is much more than just getting a new field.

Phase one of the project is underway on the baseball and track fields. Officials say phase two is a much larger project that will include redoing the entire football field and bleachers, the handball and tennis courts, and the field house.

The first phase is expected to be done as early as September. Banks says he's hoping to begin phase two later in the fall.