Artificial turf for stadium?
By Jeff Gallatin
North Olmsted
Published March 14, 2007

City and school administration officials have kicked off an idea for replacing the grass field now at the North Olmsted High School stadium with artificial turf.

Officials brought it up for the first time last Thursday at a meeting about the proposed recreation master plan in which public input was sought on the preliminary recommendations put together for the city. Estimated cost for putting artificial turf at the stadium was between $700,000 and $900,000.

School Superintendent Kurt Stanic and Mayor Thomas O’Grady said afterwards the idea only came about a few days ago.

“We were meeting with the mayor earlier in the week to discuss about how the schools and city needed to work together on recreation facilities in the city when the thought came about putting a new field down for the high school because of all the use it gets,” Stanic said. “We hadn’t discussed anything like that previously, but we thought it was something that was at least worth considering as a possibility.”

O’Grady said he would at least like to see the idea discussed further.

“It’s only in the idea stage, but it’s certainly something that could benefit the entire city and not just the schools or the city,” O’Grady said.

Both officials noted that more than just football games are played at the athletic field.

“You want something that can stay in good condition,” Stanic said. “Obviously you have a number of football games played there, but you also have the band and other athletic events going on in the facility.”

O’Grady said North Olmsted’s hosting of the first Relay For Life cancer fund-raiser in June is another good example of a community event which a better field would benefit.

“There are a lot of people at those type of events and you want the field to hold up,” he said.

Stanic said musical events, football and soccer state playoff games are also possible events which could take place with a better field.

“Sometimes you have to go out and try and create something better,” he said, noting that a new track was put in place at the facility with the strong support of boosters and support organizations.

How to obtain funding to pay for any artificial turf has not been discussed yet, both officials said.

“If it’s something that people deem worthy of being in the recreation master plan and worth doing, then it’s something we can look into as part of the process of finding funds to pay for final recommendations in the master plan,” O’Grady said. “This may be an idea whose time has come.”

Stanic said he has not discussed the idea with school board members yet, but intends to bring it up formally.

“It’s something we can discuss as a district and see what merit people think it has,” he said.

City Planning Director Kim Wenger has also brought the possibility of trying to seek grants or assistance from the private sector or using a levy to pay for work proposed in the master plan. She said work on recreation facilities might be paid for using a combination of some or all of those areas.

City Council officials at the meeting had mixed feelings about the proposal.

“It’s the first we’ve heard of it, so I’d like to see a little more about it,” said Paul Barker, chairman of council’s Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Committee. “I’m glad to see that the city and the schools are talking and working together on how to address the recreational needs because we do need to upgrade them in the city.”

Ron Tallon, council’s finance committee chairman, said sports and recreation are a big part of any community, but said there’s still a big concern to him.

“How are you going to pay for it?” Tallon said. “There are an awful lot of needs in the community. Is this one of the high priority ones which deserves more money? Like other things in both the recreation master plan work and other areas, you have to find ways to pay if it’s going to get done.”