Real grass is becoming a thing of the past.at some atheltic fields at Lake Orion High School.
Members of the Lake Orion School Board approved on Nov. 10 having design work prepared for artificial turf fields for varsity football and soccer. Funds are to come out of the 2000 bond issue.
LOHS Athletic Director Bill Reiss said the district was looking at artificial turf because there have been a lot of maintenance issues with the natural grass fields currently in place at the high school.
‘These artificial turf fields have to be brushed, and seeded with a compound,? Reiss explained. ‘But regular grass is not inexhaustible. We have to do lots of maintenance on the regular fields.?
Reiss said he would be speaking with several different companies to try to find the best price for the district, and that cost estimates for the artificial turf fields could be between $450,000 and $850,000, per field.
‘It depends on what you want,? he said. ‘Then there are add-ons…like if we want a Dragon emblem in the center, or if you want colored end zones…those are tack-ons that can cost $50,000 to $75,000.?
Reiss said maintenance issues for the high school’s natural grass fields have increased, as the marching band and more community teams are using the fields, besides the varsity teams.
‘I think soon we’ll see every field in the OAA going to artificial turf,? he said. ‘In the long term, I’d like to see our varsity baseball diamonds done.?
Reiss said the district was looking at the artificial turf field at Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School as inspiration for what they would like its fields to be.
‘We really liked that field,? he said. ‘Birmingham Groves, Birmingham Seaholm and Detroit Country Day all have artificial fields. Country Day’s is the oldest in the county. It’s eight years old.?
Farmington is adding artificial turf fields to all three of their high schools, said Reiss.
‘Most professional and college teams now play on artificial turf,? he said.
‘We’ll talk to the same company that did Ford Field,? Reiss said. ‘We’re going to talk to different companies. Each is a little different, with how they irrigate it.?
An artificial turf field takes six-eight weeks to install, and Reiss said Lake Orion Schools was ‘trying to get in line? to have their fields done.
‘Thanks to the board’s quick action, we can get the best cost,? he said.