Stevenson High might replace artificial turf in stadium
Stevenson High School's football teams could play their home games on a new artificial turf field next season.
District 125 officials are considering hiring a Canadian company called FieldTurf to replace the current synthetic field next summer. FieldTurf installed the field in 2008.
The job should cost the district roughly $580,874, documents show.
The Lincolnshire-based school board briefly reviewed the plan Monday night. Formal approval is expected in November.
Stevenson's football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey teams play on the stadium field. Physical education classes use the field, too, school spokesman Jim Conrey said.
Many suburban high schools have eschewed grass athletic fields for artificial turf because the man-made material is easier to maintain and is more durable. That durability allows more teams - and even marching bands - to practice on and play on the fields.
Libertyville, Grayslake Central, and Mundelein's Carmel Catholic high schools are among those with FieldTurf fields. FieldTurf installed a synthetic football field at Barrington High School this summer, too.
Stevenson's current field cost about $1 million to install, Conrey said. The proposed replacement would be less expensive because the infrastructure beneath the surface doesn't need to be replaced, he said.
"All that is being replaced is the turf itself," Conrey said.
The running track around the field could be repaired as a separate project, Conrey said. A cost estimate wasn't immediately available.