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Photo taken by Joselyn King-Ohio County School Director Rick Jones shows an rendering of the Wheeling Park High School baseball field and the proposed plan for introducing artificial turf into the stadium.
WHEELING-According to the designer, an advanced artificial turf proposed for the baseball field of Wheeling Park High School will make the field "the best in West Virginia."
This week, members of the Ohio County Board of Education agreed that AstroTurf began designing the turf for the baseball field.
The designer of AstroTurf said that the design work alone would cost US$50,000 and would take about six to eight weeks to complete.
According to Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones, if the board of directors approves later, it is estimated that the price of the entire turf project, as well as the necessary excavation and construction, may be US$1.2 million.
The school district has completed work on a new sports field with artificial turf, and the school’s track area is also being upgraded. These projects were paid for through a $42 million bond levy approved by voters in 2018.
The general fund of the school district must bear any expenses for the baseball field project, because this work would be beyond the scope of approval through taxation.
"We have a carryover that we think is good enough, and we can designate a large piece to improve our baseball field," Jones said.
AstroTurf has a history of cooperating with Ohio County schools. Recently, the company installed turf in the new multi-purpose stadium and also provided turf for the Wheeling Island Stadium.
AstroTurf's field representative Dan Isaac explained that the turf that will be installed on the WPHS baseball field is superior to past products currently used even in university stadiums.
He said AstroTurf will lay the same turf at Harrison Central High School. The Toronto Blue Jays laid turf on their stadium this year.
"You will have the best baseball stadium in West Virginia," he said.
He explained that AstroTurf will re-adjust the fence and re-adjust the field at WPHS.
"You don't need an expert to realize that the elevation is closed," he said. "I'm sure that when the ball is hit, it will produce some strange performance on the court."
WPHS baseball coach Steve Myers said that he and his volunteer parents spent a lot of energy to maintain the current field.
After a rainy morning, “it takes a lot of effort to play the game at 3 pm,” he told the board members.
Myers said that this year the grass in the fields was almost completely infested by worms.
He said that installing AstroTurf will enable the team to play more games and allow coaches to focus on players and games without worrying about the conditions of the field.
Sports director Dwaine Rodgers pointed out that a lot of money has been spent to maintain this field.
"When you add it all up... it will pay for some of it (AstroTurf)," he said.
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