New soccer field to welcome high school boys, girls next year

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jun 5, 2003 by Nicole Madril Capital-Journal

AUBURN-WASHBURN USD 437

"It's not maintenance free, but it's pretty darn close."

BRENDA DIETRICH,

superintendent

By Nicole Madril

Special to The Capital-Journal

Washburn Rural High School is well on its way to having a new soccer field for the fall season, with construction scheduled to begin soon.

The Auburn-Washburn school board approved spending from the capital outlay budget of $484,400 to pay for new turf and lights for the field. The projects were approved in meetings during the past two months.

In November 2002, a group of Washburn Rural High School soccer parents formed a committee and approached the school board with the idea of improving the soccer field for their children and for the community. The committee's goal was to repair and expand the facilities, according to committee leader Dave Waters.

Through fund raising, the group has collected $55,000 to offset the district's costs in improving the soccer field. The committee set up a Web site, www.washburnruralsoccer.org, where parents and other potential sponsors could donate money securely.

"We're very pleased that the parents were so supportive and willing to work so hard to contribute funds to make this project go forward," Superintendent Brenda Dietrich said.

The project includes laying artificial turf, replacing lighting and poles on the field, and removing the track around the existing field.

Dietrich said the project will take place in stages, beginning with the removal of the middle school track that runs around the field. A local company's in-kind donation will pay for that portion of the project, at an estimated $8,000 cost.

The middle school track will be rebuilt around the eighth-grade football field. It will be asphalt and wider than the current track, Dietrich said.

The school board chose artificial turf for the soccer playing field, rather than sod. The turf costs $433,000 and will be paid for over the next eight years, Dietrich said. She said the district will save money over time, as the field will no longer require mowing or similar upkeep.

"Over time, it will save us a lot of man hours," she said. "It's not maintenance free, but it's pretty darn close."

Dietrich said the project cost is being figured into the district's standard capital outlay budget and said taxpayers would feel no impact from the project. Ticket prices are unconnected to the field improvements, she said.

"We don't use those ticket prices to pay for upkeep on a field," she said.

The school district is still collecting bids from area vendors to determine who will complete repairs to the soccer field. The project is scheduled to be done before school resumes Aug. 14.

The soccer field will be home to the 2002-2003 boys 6A state champions. The boys beat defending champions St. Thomas Aquinas, giving them the 6A state championship and ranking them 12th in the nation. The girls just completed their season as 2003 Centennial League and Regional Champions.

For more information and updates about the soccer field, visit www.washburnruralsoccer.org.

Capital-Journal staff writer Amy Bauer contributed to this report.