Scott Swanson
A $100,000 anonymous contribution has energized fund-raising efforts to install an all-weather synthetic turf surface at Husky Field, school district officials said last week.
The contribution brings the total amount pledged or actually contributed to the project to $333,116 as of May 5.
The project seeks to replace the grass turf in the stadium with artificial turf – probably FieldTurf’s XT-65, which is 2½-inch tall synthetic turf. The field would have an inlay system consisting of silica and rubber, which is the one installed at South Albany in 2014. The track, which was built in 2004, would be replaced as part of the project and it would also improve the south end of the track, specifically the high jump area, where the layout is not well-constructed for track.
Turf Committee members, led by co-chairs Milt Moran and Larry Horton, hope to raise at least $85,000 more for the project, for a total of $415,000 to $425,000.
Kevin Strong, school district business manager, said that figure will allow for some “contingencies.”
“Once you start digging, you don’t know what you’re going to need for drainage and stuff like that, what kind of issues you’re going to have,” he said. “Any unused contingency funds would be used for other stadium needs” such as scoreboard and other stadium improvements.
Moran last week called the $100,000 donation “very timely.”
“It definitely puts us in reach now of getting that turf in, re-doing the high jump area and the track surface,” he said.
He said he’s still learning about artificial turf, but he said new developments in the field have improved things from where they were years ago when they were constructed on an asphalt base. Though the gravel base that will be used for the new field is hard, he said, dirt is too.
“Fields like this, built correctly, are safer for feet and ankles,” he said. “Grass looks soft, but when you land on it, it’s not that soft. There are holes and divots that are terrible on ankles and feet. The trade-off seems pretty positive.
“This is not something we’ve taken lightly. We’ve studied it and we’ve talked to a lot of people.”
In addition to the anonymous donation, the committee has received a $50,000 pledge from Rice Logging, $30,000 from Burke Logging, $10,000 each from Richard Reynolds Trucking, Modern Machinery and another anonymous donor, $5,000 each from the
Oregon Jamboree Ice Crew, the Siletz Tribe Charitable Contribution Fund and Wolthuis Family Dentistry, and eight $1,000 donors, along with a number of smaller contributions. Another $100,000 is coming from money the school district has saved for resurfacing the track.
Strong said one option available to large donors is to have a logo on the turf itself. He said donors have responded to such opportunities at South Albany and West Salem high schools, and a limited number of logo spots are open to anyone who is interested. They will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.
Strong noted that there are a number of options for those who want to contribute. They are:
– Make a tax-deductible contribution for the turf/track project, payable to the Sweet Home Community Foundation, P.O. Box 24, Sweet Home, Oregon 97386. To donate on-line, Go to http://sweethomecommunityfoundation.org and click the “Donate” button at the upper left side of the page.
Fill in credit card and donation amount information. Click the “Review Donation and Continue” button.
Type “For Turf Stadium Project” in the “Add special instructions to the seller” box and then click “Donate.”
– Make a multi-year pledge for two to five years. To do so, contact Larry Horton at (541) 619-2683.
– Pledge $25,000, which will qualify businesses to have their approximately 6-by-24-foot logo sewn into the turf on the field. Payments can be spread out over five years. The business would also need to pay approximately $3,500 to have the logo prepared.
– To donate materials, equipment or labor, contact Dustin Nichol at (541) 401-5772 or email [email protected].
Moran said he appreciates the community stepping up.
“A month ago, I wasn’t feeling so positive,” he said. “But now we’re seeing the community stepping up like we can with the Boys & Girls Club and now football and track. There’s renewed excitement.
“I feel pretty good that by this fall our high school kids will be playing football and soccer on a brand new field, under the lights, and the junior high kids too. We’ll go from a dozen games a year to ‘how many can we schedule there?’”