Drainage problems at Grayslake North field

Something must be done to curtail flooding at Grayslake North High School's stadium field, officials say.

An inability to use Grayslake North's field for five days after heavy rain last month drove home the need to address the drainage problems on a short- and long-term basis, officials said. They said the torrential rains in mid-September didn't put other Lake County schools' fields out of commission as long.

Grayslake High School District 127 board member Phil Lippert several parents complained about the condition of the natural grass field during a facility and finance committee meeting Sept. 18. Lippert heads the facility and finance committee.

"We're frustrated," Lippert said at a District 127 meeting last week, "and I know the administration is, too."

Officials said the problem lies with a clay base that was used under the Grayslake North field. School board members said they hope to come up with decision on what to do about the field at a meeting later this month.

Board member Jon Cokefair said Grayslake North's field doesn't absorb water as it should even after a light rain. He said he'd prefer to keep a grass field, and suggested the drainage might be improved through a process to loosen the clay base.

Grayslake Central High School doesn't have the same drainage problems because it has an artificial turf field. Grayslake North opened in the 2004-05 academic year with just freshmen.