After installing artificial turf at Memorial Stadium in 2007, USD 443 officials are seeking help in protecting their investment.
And they may get it.
The Community Facilities Advisory Board voted Thursday to recommend spending up to $26,000 on a turf-protection system for Memorial Stadium, as well as city-owned facilities. The recommendation will go to the Dodge City and Ford County commissions, which will make the final decision.
If the commissions approve the request, the city and county would use part of the proceeds from the "Why Not Dodge?" sales tax to fund the project.
The school district wants to purchase about 10,000 feet of temporary flooring made of polypropylene, a plastic polymer that can be used as both a structural plastic and as a fiber. The material would be put directly on Memorial Stadium's turf to protect it from foot traffic and other wear and tear.
The district currently uses plywood to protect the turf for occasions like graduation, but plywood increases the risk that people could trip and fall, said Bill Hammond, USD 443's assistant superintendent for business services. He also said unless the wood isn't painted properly, rain could cause it to stain the field.
Hammond said the polypropylene flooring would make it possible to accommodate more community events, as well as school-sponsored activities at the stadium.
"What we're really trying to do is extend the use of that," he said. "We think this could be part of the overall concept of having more opportunities to bring things into Dodge City, promote more things."
The district has received cost estimates for installing the temporary flooring but has not sought formal bids.
CFAB member Rick Sowers said he was dubious about using sales tax money for Memorial Stadium, since the stadium is not a "Why Not Dodge?" project. But he had another possibility in mind — using the temporary flooring at the Civic Center.
"Where I was going with that was, could we fund it for the Civic Center?" Sowers said, pointing out that this would also provide the parties with the option of loaning the flooring back and forth to one another
Upgrades to the Civic Center were included in the original list of "Why Not Dodge?" projects.
The school district has approached the CFAB for financial assistance for Memorial Stadium in the past.
Back in 2007, district officials sought sales tax money to cover part of the cost of replacing the stadium's grass with artificial turf. The CFAB recommended granting the request, but the city and county commissions essentially turned it down.
The district later installed the artificial turf at its own expense.
EDITOR'S NOTE: See Saturday's edition of the Globe for coverage of other developments from the CFAB.
Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.
DODGE CITY —
