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By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 09:41 a.m. EDT, Apr 07, 2008
A few years ago, the Copley-Fairlawn sports boosters sat down with former football coach Dan Boarman and asked him what they could do to help the program.
The response: Artificial turf.
Of course, the coach added, it would cost a lot of cash.
And school districts aren't exactly excited nowadays about asking taxpayers to fund projects that could be perceived as a luxury.
That's where the boosters stepped in.
The group started a public fundraising campaign late last year and has raised $431,200 in cash and pledges so far, enough that school athletes and band members should be practicing and playing on synthetic turf this fall.
Copley-Fairlawn is joining a growing number of school districts in Ohio that are dumping real grass for the artificial kind. But wary of upsetting taxpayers, schools aren't footing the hefty bill, which can range from $600,000 to $1 million.
Instead, their booster clubs are leading the charge by getting the blessing of the school board and using their clout as community fundraisers.
In addition to Copley, boosters in the Lake and Green school districts are raising money now and plan to install fields this summer. At least 66 other public and private schools in Ohio — out of 715 football-playing schools — have artificial turf, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
The Synthetic Turf Council, a trade association in Atlanta, estimates that 900 to 1,000 new artificial fields will be put in this year at the high school, college and professional levels nationwide.
''My guess is in the next five years that half the schools in Northeast Ohio would have at least considered or would have put in a field,'' said Neven Zelich, president of the Lake Building Committee Inc., which is leading the turf project at Blue Streak Stadium in Lake Township in Stark County.
Why is it needed?
There are plenty of reasons why more schools are going to synthetic surfaces, including new technology, community pride, cost and poor weather.
A synthetic turf — one that mirrors real grass down to individual blades made of nylon or polyurethane — provides a year-round surface for both games and practice because of the drainage system.
''When you live in Northeast Ohio, after the first (football) game, the field can be destroyed for the rest of the year. For soccer. For the band. For everything,'' said Randy Oing, president of Green All Sports Booster Club. ''Our fields take a lot of abuse.''
At Lake schools, the stadium field would get so bad after football games, especially if it rained, that other sports such as soccer couldn't practice on it. The new synthetic, all-weather turf will end the worry about overuse.
''Everybody is so excited for it,'' said Joshua Habeck, 17, a junior soccer player. ''I'll probably miss (the mud) a little bit. There are always those few games you want to get muddy.''
Early rewards
GlenOak High School in Stark County installed a synthetic field last year in its new football stadium and is already reaping the benefits.
The baseball team was on the field last week practicing, because the baseball diamond has been hard hit by constant snow and rain this year. The team took fielding practice and did base-running drills on the artificial turf.
''If it weren't for the new field, we'd still be in the gym looking at the same four walls everybody's been looking at for the last month and a half,'' coach Greg McClellan said.
There's an added benefit, said baseball and football player Joe Monnot, 17.
''It brings a sense of community,'' he said about the ability of all sports teams to use the field.
David Woodyard, president of the Copley Sports Boosters Club, agreed.
''Friday night sporting events are one of the biggest events in the Copley-Fairlawn community, particularly the football games,'' he said. ''You can get a few thousand people when it's a good rivalry or a good program and you'd like to make it the best experience possible. I think it's that simple.''
The booster clubs also are selling the idea of the community being able to use the field, as opposed to it being available to just a few sports teams.
''It's not just for the schools,'' Zelich said. ''We have big plans for this. We want to provide community access to this facility.''
The money
Grass fields are a huge financial investment by school districts. They must be mowed, watered, re-seeded and kept in shape.
But use is limited because of the fear of messing up the grass.
''It's a big investment that goes unused,'' said Dale Karmie, one of the owners of ForeverLawn, which will be installing the field at Lake. ''With artificial fields, there is some maintenance, but you can play virtually every day of the year.''
The cost of putting in an artificial surface outweighs the cost of maintaining a grass one, industry experts and others said. A new synthetic field — systems vary by company — lasts 10 years or more.
''They are now more cost-effective from the standpoint that they last longer and the costs to maintain natural surfaces actually end up being higher than purchasing the artificial surface,'' said Bob Goldring, assistant commissioner of the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
But environmental and health groups have questioned the safety of the artificial surfaces, which use rubber bits to help keep the synthetic grass standing up. The rubber can give off toxins at high temperatures and can be accidently swallowed, according to environmental groups.
There also have been scares related to whether staph infections can be spread on the surface.
The industry rejects both concerns, arguing that there have been several studies to prove that synthetic fields pose no health or environmental problems.
''We asked all those questions,'' Woodyard said. ''We felt pretty satisfied.''
Fundraising
The projects are driven by the booster clubs, mainly because of the fear by school leaders that districts will be accused of directing money from education.
''We can't have the taxpayer spending money on these things,'' said Jim Adkins, athletic director at GlenOak.
The booster clubs don't share that concern.
''They are just relentless,'' Adkins said. ''They are willing to do whatever it takes to raise money for the district.''
The fundraising isn't easy.
''No, there's a lot of effort,'' Oing said. ''You need to have some really ambitious, energetic people.''
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
A few years ago, the Copley-Fairlawn sports boosters sat down with former football coach Dan Boarman and asked him what they could do to help the program.
The response: Artificial turf.
Of course, the coach added, it would cost a lot of cash.
And school districts aren't exactly excited nowadays about asking taxpayers to fund projects that could be perceived as a luxury.
That's where the boosters stepped in.
The group started a public fundraising campaign late last year and has raised $431,200 in cash and pledges so far, enough that school athletes and band members should be practicing and playing on synthetic turf this fall.
Copley-Fairlawn is joining a growing number of school districts in Ohio that are dumping real grass for the artificial kind. But wary of upsetting taxpayers, schools aren't footing the hefty bill, which can range from $600,000 to $1 million.
Instead, their booster clubs are leading the charge by getting the blessing of the school board and using their clout as community fundraisers.
In addition to Copley, boosters in the Lake and Green school districts are raising money now and plan to install fields this summer. At least 66 other public and private schools in Ohio — out of 715 football-playing schools — have artificial turf, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
The Synthetic Turf Council, a trade association in Atlanta, estimates that 900 to 1,000 new artificial fields will be put in this year at the high school, college and professional levels nationwide.
''My guess is in the next five years that half the schools in Northeast Ohio would have at least considered or would have put in a field,'' said Neven Zelich, president of the Lake Building Committee Inc., which is leading the turf project at Blue Streak Stadium in Lake Township in Stark County.
Why is it needed?
There are plenty of reasons why more schools are going to synthetic surfaces, including new technology, community pride, cost and poor weather.
A synthetic turf — one that mirrors real grass down to individual blades made of nylon or polyurethane — provides a year-round surface for both games and practice because of the drainage system.
''When you live in Northeast Ohio, after the first (football) game, the field can be destroyed for the rest of the year. For soccer. For the band. For everything,'' said Randy Oing, president of Green All Sports Booster Club. ''Our fields take a lot of abuse.''
At Lake schools, the stadium field would get so bad after football games, especially if it rained, that other sports such as soccer couldn't practice on it. The new synthetic, all-weather turf will end the worry about overuse.
''Everybody is so excited for it,'' said Joshua Habeck, 17, a junior soccer player. ''I'll probably miss (the mud) a little bit. There are always those few games you want to get muddy.''
Early rewards
GlenOak High School in Stark County installed a synthetic field last year in its new football stadium and is already reaping the benefits.
The baseball team was on the field last week practicing, because the baseball diamond has been hard hit by constant snow and rain this year. The team took fielding practice and did base-running drills on the artificial turf.
''If it weren't for the new field, we'd still be in the gym looking at the same four walls everybody's been looking at for the last month and a half,'' coach Greg McClellan said.
There's an added benefit, said baseball and football player Joe Monnot, 17.
''It brings a sense of community,'' he said about the ability of all sports teams to use the field.
David Woodyard, president of the Copley Sports Boosters Club, agreed.
''Friday night sporting events are one of the biggest events in the Copley-Fairlawn community, particularly the football games,'' he said. ''You can get a few thousand people when it's a good rivalry or a good program and you'd like to make it the best experience possible. I think it's that simple.''
The booster clubs also are selling the idea of the community being able to use the field, as opposed to it being available to just a few sports teams.
''It's not just for the schools,'' Zelich said. ''We have big plans for this. We want to provide community access to this facility.''
The money
Grass fields are a huge financial investment by school districts. They must be mowed, watered, re-seeded and kept in shape.
But use is limited because of the fear of messing up the grass.
''It's a big investment that goes unused,'' said Dale Karmie, one of the owners of ForeverLawn, which will be installing the field at Lake. ''With artificial fields, there is some maintenance, but you can play virtually every day of the year.''
The cost of putting in an artificial surface outweighs the cost of maintaining a grass one, industry experts and others said. A new synthetic field — systems vary by company — lasts 10 years or more.
''They are now more cost-effective from the standpoint that they last longer and the costs to maintain natural surfaces actually end up being higher than purchasing the artificial surface,'' said Bob Goldring, assistant commissioner of the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
But environmental and health groups have questioned the safety of the artificial surfaces, which use rubber bits to help keep the synthetic grass standing up. The rubber can give off toxins at high temperatures and can be accidently swallowed, according to environmental groups.
There also have been scares related to whether staph infections can be spread on the surface.
The industry rejects both concerns, arguing that there have been several studies to prove that synthetic fields pose no health or environmental problems.
''We asked all those questions,'' Woodyard said. ''We felt pretty satisfied.''
Fundraising
The projects are driven by the booster clubs, mainly because of the fear by school leaders that districts will be accused of directing money from education.
''We can't have the taxpayer spending money on these things,'' said Jim Adkins, athletic director at GlenOak.
The booster clubs don't share that concern.
''They are just relentless,'' Adkins said. ''They are willing to do whatever it takes to raise money for the district.''
The fundraising isn't easy.
''No, there's a lot of effort,'' Oing said. ''You need to have some really ambitious, energetic people.''
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
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