OK, so now the artificial turf field genie is out of the bottle. This article explains how the School Board last week, by a 4-3 vote, approved $2 million for the construction of turf fields at the stadiums of Atholton and Hammond High Schools. In something I'm sure will shock you all, Board Members Dyer, Meshkin and Vaillaincourt voted against the capital expense. Obviously, Board Members Aquino, French, Giles and Siddiqui voted in favor.
So the plan is that all 12 of the county's high schools will have turf fields at the rate of about three per year, until all 12 high school stadium fields are turfed. The annual funding dredge for the $3 million needed to turf the fields each year is going to be fun. So will the annual school board vote on providing artifical turf playing fields for the county.
So here's a way the county saves a little face and starts to win over public approval for turfing the fields. Despite the short-term safety advantages of turf fields and long-term financial advantages, there is still a large body of opinion out there that believes that the funds could be better spent buying scissors, paste and paper.
As soon as the New Year turns, the county needs to come out with a donation effort to raise funds for turfing the fields. But here's the kicker. The fundraising drive should be coordinated throughout the county, going into one pot to turf ALL the high school fields eventually. Let the School Board come up with a schedule of what schools get turf when, and then let all the fundraising donations-- be they $50 or $50,000-- go to the central pot to help offset the cost. Later, when all the fields are turfed, each individual high school can keep a turf field maintenance fund, and if donors so choose, they can pay for fancy scoreboards and the like.
The turf field debate isn't going away, and I think a shared sense of purpose among the high school communities will help ensure that eventually, all the schools get the turf stadium fields they should have.
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