HARROD — The Allen East Board of Education approved a measure Saturday to solicit bids to find out how much it would cost to replace its grass football field with synthetic turf.
The matter was approved to seek bids from architectural/engineer firms and turf companies to see if switching to synthetic turf is something the school system can afford, said Allen East Superintendent Mel Rentschler.
“The board has not determined what they are going to do, for sure, until they get the bids,” Rentschler said.
Besides a price tag, the board wants to find out a timeline. The goal, if they choose to go forward with the project, would be to have it done in time for next year’s football and soccer season, Rentschler said.
The board rejected a bid for $135,000 to fix the natural grass because it is considering the possibility of replacing the grass with turf, Rentschler said.
Earlier this month, parents, students and residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of replacing the school’s grass field with synthetic turf with a 92 percent approval vote.
School officials have said the current field has drainage problems including a drainage system that erodes the soil in the draining process causing holes in the field. Some holes in the end zone were 3 feet deep.
Officials are checking the field before each game to ensure there are no hazards that would harm the children playing a game.
Synthetic turf is just one option, albeit the most popular, to fix the problem. Other suggestions are fill the holes as holes pop up, and a third option is to remove existing tile and replace it with new tile and stone at an estimated cost of $150,000. The turf option was estimated to cost as much as $600,000.
If the board approves a turf project, a campaign to raise money for the project would start rather than raising taxes.
