Photo courtesy of www.eua.com
The harsh Wisconsin winters can be tough on the state’s natural grass fields. Aside from the challenges of maintaining a field year around, especially during periods of inclement weather, the cost of replacing sod or re-seeding a field before each season can be expensive for school districts statewide.
FieldTurf a Safer Alternative
In an effort to cut costs, some Wisconsin schools, such as Arrowhead High School, have installed FieldTurf, a synthetic turf that is said to be more durable and safer than natural grass, on their outdoor fields. At Arrowhead, school officials not only see the new surface as a benefit to the football team but also to the school’s bottom line.
Paid for Play
Recently, the district’s school board approved a new facility user fee schedule for district buildings including Pfeiffer Memorial Field. Groups or teams interested in using the field for a maximum of four hours will have to pay between $300 and $800 depending on how much of event gate sales they negotiate to hand over to the district. Additionally, the district will also profit from any concession stand sales during the event.
The turf, which was added to the field and paid for by a local youth football club, cost just over a half a million dollars. In exchange, the youth team will receive unrestricted access to the field every Saturday for 20 years. All monies received by the district for renting the field to other parties will be used for field maintenance and the replacement of the turf in 12 years. Aside from football, school district officials believe the field could be used to host club soccer or lacrosse tournaments and a variety of other events.
Go-To Source for Sporting Goods
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