School Board Considers $2.5 M Proposal for Artificial Turf at Football Stadiums (CummingHome-Cumming GA Forsyth County News)

School Board Considers $2.5 M Proposal for Artificial Turf at Football Stadiums

Originally Published Apr 22, 2008, 9:16am
(Updated Apr 22, 2008, 9:23am)

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Artificial Turf Proposal (2.0 MB)

Chief Facilities and Operations Officer Robert Sewell presented a proposal on April 17, 2008 during a regular board meeting to upgrade all Forsyth County football stadium fields to artificial turf.

Forsyth County Schools is currently in a water ban and we are not permitted to use sprinklers on our sports fields. Under normal rain conditions, sprinkers are required to supplement and properly maintain the stadium fields for football and soccer games. We have obtained three proposals to provide artificial turf on all four of our high school stadium fields.

According to Sewell, the cost to maintain grass fields is approximately $35,000 per field, per year. Based on this estimate, and the conservative 8 year life of the artifical turf, the move could save the taxpayers as much as $3M over 8 years.

The attached presentation outlines the proposals and related expenses currently being incurred to normally maintain the fields.

Multiple use of the fields is the key advantage, ie., football, soccer, band, physical education, lacross, etc. without the need for water.

If the Board decides to move forward with this, the new fields could be installed in as little as 93 days.

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Comments

9 comment(s) on this page. Add your own comment below.

Lisa

Apr 23, 2008 9:08am [ 1 ]

Now there is a real necessity and waste of taxpayer's money.

jerry

Apr 23, 2008 9:18am [ 2 ]

Why not invest the money in buying buses, and getting the schools back to normal hours!

Terry b

Apr 23, 2008 2:18pm [ 3 ]

They may want to consider providing some training to educators on students with disabilities.. I am just sayin.....! All those lawsuits on them brought by disabled families! ..

ANON

Apr 23, 2008 2:29pm [ 4 ]

Hold on a minute... 2.5 million. When are we going to get bus cameras or bus monitors. What are we at like - 34, 000 students on these buses with no bus monitors... Yeah Right .. 2.5 million on astro turf for us to keep up with looking good. NO THANKS

Think

Apr 23, 2008 11:37pm [ 5 ]

you guys are right lets not spend 2.5 million now on turf and spend 5.5 million over time on grass. You all need to run for congress you would fit in.

ANON

Apr 24, 2008 6:47am [ 6 ]

Think- we have a lot more 'pressing' issues in the school district... have you checked lately.. rain has been in the forecast regularly.

Terry B

Apr 24, 2008 2:28pm [ 7 ]

I would like to actually inspect the figures for the cost of maintenance currently on the football fields. I just don't know about this.. since they aren't watering now.... how much is it costing .. Also, in terms of maintenance, how about some community involvement and volunteerring. Geez, the baseball families get involved and volunteer time to maintain the baseball fields.

There are so much better ways to spend this money. Waste or Investment,? I think the people as a whole need to decide.

Terry B

Apr 24, 2008 7:43pm [ 8 ]

one more thought... Didn't they just open West High School this year.. How come they didn't put astroturf in at West High during the planning of that school?

Ben Around

Apr 24, 2008 9:39pm [ 9 ]

ridiculous waste of taxpayers money. Fox news reported last night that several school football fields had to shut down because toxic levels of lead were discovered in the articifical turf.