Artificial turf on tap at Glenbard South, East

Plans are in the works for the two remaining schools — Glenbard South and Glenbard East — to have artificial field turf installed on its playing fields — perhaps as early as this summer.

Officials at South, near Glen Ellyn, and Glenbard East in Lombard have been trying to secure public and private dollars to fund the projects — a similar method by which turf installations were funded at Glenbard North in 2009 and at Glenbard West in 2010.

Glenbard South

Glenbard High School District 87 is now seeking bids for an estimated $1.5 million field turf project at South, which will be funded by splitting the costs equally among the district, the school’s boosters organization and an anonymous donor.

The district is expected to borrow $1 million and pay off the project in eight years, while getting payment streams from the boosters during the next 10 years, according to Chris McClain, the district’s assistant superintendent for business services.

School officials say the South field is used 31 times a year for practices and competitions, in addition to use by physical education classes. Installation of synthetic turf would allow for increased use of the field.

Construction is expected to be complete by the start of the 2012-13 school year.

Glenbard East

The projected $1.3 million cost of turf at East would be partially funded by a $500,000 contribution from the Lombard Park District, which would use the field on weekends and after school hours when not being utilized for school activities.

Of the remaining project cost, the district would borrow the money and repay it in eight years, according to district projections.

The school’s boosters club has committed to paying a portion of the district’s share during 10 years — up to $433,333.

The park district also has agreed to fund half the cost of replacing the field turf if necessary, since artificial turf has a life of between eight and 15 years, McClain said.

Unlike the South project, the East turf has not received formal approval of the school board, pending signed agreements from the park district and boosters club, McClain said.