Chopblock
02-17-2009, 02:28 PM
Vote is in 'for' artificial turf for stadium
Elgin High School football players will be the first team to play on artificial turf at Wildcat Stadium when the 2009 season opens.
EISD School Board members approved athletic field improvements including synthetic turf for Wildcat Stadium on a 5-2 split vote during the School Board meeting Monday night. The regular meeting followed a workshop presentation at 6 p.m. by Richard McDonald of Sports Design Group and Barry Nebhut, SHW architect. Casting the dissenting votes were School Board members Duke Ducharme and Gena Chavarria.
McDonald and Nebhut outlined the details of bid specifications to rehabilitate all Elgin High School athletic fields. Fields will include synthetic turf at Wildcat Stadium field, miscellaneous track repairs and the practice fields directly west of the high school. The smaller practice field east of Wildcat Stadium and the softball field repair work will be bid as alternate items. The price tag for construction is estimated at $1,426,400 with design fees, testing, surveys, permitting and printing estimates bringing the total approved to $1,566,318.
"The workshop included the specs and details for the artificial turf installation or whether to start from scratch with grass.
"The workshop also included plans for extended maintenance, repairs and renovations to all grass installations (playing fields.)
"The drainage at the baseball field has been a problem since day one. During heavy rains, the field practically washes away. The water would be diverted and drainage fixed. The softball field would also be renovated," Graves said.
According to Graves, there was no fill dirt used when the practice fields were established; grass was just planted on the dirt that was there. The fields should be playable and sustainable, he said.
Graves also reported that all the Bond issue projects have been completed, plus there are $767,000 in additional projects already approved above and beyond the initial plans for each campus.
There is still $1.8 to $1.9 million available to take care of the field renovations and other projects.
"Until the bids come in, we won't know the exact figures for the project, but the timing is important. If the field is under construction at graduation time, the ceremony will have to be on the former Wildcat Stadium football field, which needs no renovations," Graves concluded.
WWW.elgincourier.com
Elgin High School football players will be the first team to play on artificial turf at Wildcat Stadium when the 2009 season opens.
EISD School Board members approved athletic field improvements including synthetic turf for Wildcat Stadium on a 5-2 split vote during the School Board meeting Monday night. The regular meeting followed a workshop presentation at 6 p.m. by Richard McDonald of Sports Design Group and Barry Nebhut, SHW architect. Casting the dissenting votes were School Board members Duke Ducharme and Gena Chavarria.
McDonald and Nebhut outlined the details of bid specifications to rehabilitate all Elgin High School athletic fields. Fields will include synthetic turf at Wildcat Stadium field, miscellaneous track repairs and the practice fields directly west of the high school. The smaller practice field east of Wildcat Stadium and the softball field repair work will be bid as alternate items. The price tag for construction is estimated at $1,426,400 with design fees, testing, surveys, permitting and printing estimates bringing the total approved to $1,566,318.
"The workshop included the specs and details for the artificial turf installation or whether to start from scratch with grass.
"The workshop also included plans for extended maintenance, repairs and renovations to all grass installations (playing fields.)
"The drainage at the baseball field has been a problem since day one. During heavy rains, the field practically washes away. The water would be diverted and drainage fixed. The softball field would also be renovated," Graves said.
According to Graves, there was no fill dirt used when the practice fields were established; grass was just planted on the dirt that was there. The fields should be playable and sustainable, he said.
Graves also reported that all the Bond issue projects have been completed, plus there are $767,000 in additional projects already approved above and beyond the initial plans for each campus.
There is still $1.8 to $1.9 million available to take care of the field renovations and other projects.
"Until the bids come in, we won't know the exact figures for the project, but the timing is important. If the field is under construction at graduation time, the ceremony will have to be on the former Wildcat Stadium football field, which needs no renovations," Graves concluded.
WWW.elgincourier.com