By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Construction on Beebe High School’s new $680,000 football field is under way. All the old turf has been stripped and sold to a sod company, and plans are to have the new artificial field turf in place by August 1, although who is putting the new field down is still in the bidding process.
Beebe head football coach John Shannon says the deadline can be reached, despite the fact that typical installation of field turf takes six weeks, citing that new curbs and drainage systems are already in place, leaving nothing but installing the field itself for the contractors to complete.
Supporters for the new field, which included Shannon, says the field is necessary for several reasons. The field is nearly 25 years old and is in need of a new crown, which will cost an estimated $125,000 or more. It costs about $25,000 per year to maintain, add that to the cost of a new crown, and replacing it with artificial turf will pay for itself in about 10 years, according to supporters.
It’s also more practical from a coach’s standpoint.
“What it means for me is that we’ll be able to take the field andpractice no matter what,” Shannon said. “As it is now, if the field is wet, we can’t practice on it because it holds water and tears up so easily. It’ll also mean the band and P.E. classes can use it whenever they want. Right now we have to try to keep people off of it as much as possible.”
There is also a deal in place with the city PeeWee football league, allowing them to use the field on Saturdays. Right now the PeeWee league teams play in the outfields of the city baseball and softball fields.
