By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The products have outlived their warranty, and now it's time for a replacement. At Monday's USD 428 Great Bend Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent John Popp led a discussion about the replacement of the turf and track at Great Bend High School's Memorial Stadium. Popp could provide only a guess Monday evening, but said the project will likely exceed $1 million.
"So no action on this yet, I just wanted to put it in front of you that I'm going to be bringing it to you," he told the board. "If I'm just round-guessing, I think you're in the $1 million range just to cover everything, then to go down to the base, that could cost anywhere from who knows. If it's just the track, maybe only about half a million, so 1.5 maybe up to 2 million. I'm just guessing round numbers at this point. We'll wait and see what the proposals come back at."
Popp gave credit to the grounds and transportation crew for maintaining the facilities so they lived past their warranty dates. Popp said he has been to other facilities that are already on their second replacement since Great Bend installed its turf. The goal is to replace the turf and the track at the same time.
"I know in the past they had the track down in '04, they put the turf down in '08, so they had to build a bridge over the track and do it all at the same time," said Superintendent Khris Thexton. "That's why we waited on the turf, to extend it as long as we could, so we could time it to where they'd be together."
Other than normal wear and tear on the turf, some spots on the playing surface are no longer level. Popp reported that, as the material wears down, it is more likely to burn athletes who slide across it, including youth football players. Several cracks have been patched on the track but are expected to get much worse during the cold season.
Popp said he believes the foundation underneath the turf is in good shape and will likely not need to be replaced. The same cannot be said for the track.
"Normally you'd scrape the coating off the top and just recoat it, but we know the asphalt underneath the track is not in good repair, so they're going to have to take it clear down to the base," he said. "That's going to be some additional costs."
The district will now reach out to contractors for estimates on the rehaul. Popp hopes to have figures for the board by November with approval of the updates by December. The ultimate goal, he said, is for the selected contractor to begin work immediately after graduation and have the new turf installed before the first football game in Sept. 2023.