Time for turf? Libertyville youth football club considers going fake

Too many feet in too little space for more than three months straight is the succinct description of a long-standing problem facing the Libertyville Boys Club football program.

Use by 700 players beats the grass to such an extent that the two fields used for football games and practice at Butler Lake Park have become virtually unplayable, the group says.

So, the nonprofit organization, which has offered a football program in Libertyville for 77 years, is considering installing artificial turf at its two fields as a possible solution.

"We're at the early stages of determining if it's even feasible," said village Trustee Drew Cullum, who chairs the village board's parks and recreation committee.

The club recently made a presentation to the committee, and Cullum reported to the full board, which informally agreed the idea could be researched further.

"We're open from a board standpoint because it would be an improvement to village land that wouldn't be paid for by the village," he said Friday.

Club officers were not immediately available, but according to information presented to the village, the club spends more than $45,000 per year to maintain the fields. Installing the turf would cut $35,000 per year from that expense.

The club estimates installing the turf and related expenses for both fields at $1 million, according to its presentation to the village board committee.

Funding would come from five sources: private fundraising; savings on maintenance; player fees; agreements with other sports programs; and third-party financing.

Third-party financing would require a long-term lease agreement with the village to show stability to lenders. And the possibility of agreements with other sports programs raises other questions, including the timing and use of the fields during baseball season.

"Parking is at a premium over there for either one of these major sports," Cullum said. "We always have need for additional open space in any of the seasons. This would create some of that field space, but it would also create the parking issue."

That puts the ball in the club's court, so to speak.

"It gave them the green light to dig deeper, but it raises more questions than it answers," Cullum said of the village board's initial informal reaction.

The issue is "very much to be continued," he added.