Carlisle faculty board approves turf venture over some residents’ objections | Schooling
Jen Heckendorn on Thursday voiced his outrage over a $ 3.19 million project to upgrade the sports facilities on the main campus of the Carlisle Area School District.
“As a mother with a son with an IEP [Individualized Education Program], I am appalled that you would want to spend this money, “she told Carlisle school board members after their unanimous decision.
“I’ve spent countless hours fighting for this child, what it took just to say, ‘We can’t do this for you. It is not possible. We don’t have the means, ”said Heckendorn.
She was one of three residents who opposed the project to develop a multi-purpose artificial turf pitch on Bellaire Drive from high school football stadium.
The approval of the Board of Directors on Thursday cleared the way for the project, which could start next spring or early summer and be completed as early as autumn 2022.
The grass pitch opposite Bellaire Drive from the stadium is currently used as a practice area by the university soccer team. The project would replace the grass with artificial turf at an estimated cost of $ 1,395,000.
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Aside from turf, the project includes approximately $ 700,000 to reconfigure the tennis courts on campus, $ 586,000 to install a scoreboard and lighting for the multipurpose field, and $ 326,000 to remove power poles along Bellaire Drive and burying the power, fiber optic and telephone lines carried by these masts.
“I do not understand why no money can be spent on teachers, on helpers, on anything to better help children with special needs,” said Heckendorn. “Look at other avenues, not just the athletics department. There are so many other things that need fixing and athletics should be on your back. “
The project, approved on Thursday, marks the first phase in a multi-year $ 9.1 million plan to improve the sports fields and facilities that share campus with Carlisle High School and Wilson Middle School.
The grass pitch is used by the soccer, field hockey and lacrosse teams as well as the marching band, cheerleaders and the sports classes of the two secondary schools.
Heckendorn wasn’t the only parent who questioned the board’s justification on Thursday.
“Because the economy is in such a place of inflation [and] Gasoline prices are skyrocketing, why would you even consider spending $ 9 million on sports fields? ”Asked Dawn Kephart. “Teachers have to spend their own personal money to have certain materials in their classrooms, and parents, after paying high taxes, even donate items for personal use. I see that every year. “
The multi-year plan emerged from a study by a task force of district and school board members working with ELA Sport, a consultancy based in Lititz, Lancaster County.
This task force has addressed not only current and future program needs of athletes, but also marching band and physical education classes offered in both high school and middle school, Superintendent Christine Spielbauer said during a facility committee meeting Jan. . December.
“The task force identified the areas of greatest need for our county in phase one,” she said. “Over time, the task force will review the plan and make adjustments as necessary to support the support [these] Programs. “
A member of the task force, Executive Vice President Anne Lauritzen, strongly advocated the first phase by outlining the basis for developing the multi-year plan.
“ELA Sport has done extensive research on our facilities and their use,” she said. “The administration team looked at other facilities in schools in our area and the long-term costs of maintaining current lawns versus artificial turf. They spoke to colleagues in other districts for advice and insights, as well as other areas of cost and usage comparisons.
“Our facilities for sport and sport are just that – they are facilities,” said Lauritzen. “The board of directors and the administration are responsible for maintaining and modernizing our facilities. These in particular are long overdue. Your time has come in rotation. We have roughly 400 to 500 students participating in some form of athletics or band. That’s a large percentage of our high school student body. These fields provide an opportunity for all of our teams to play and practice. Physical education classes will have far greater opportunities. “
Past and current athletes and band members would agree that current fields on the main campus are subpar, Lauritzen said. Without artificial turf, Carlisle can no longer host tournaments or playoff games, she said. Carlisle teams that play away games on turf have nowhere to train on the main campus, Lauritzen said. Not only does this lead to a competitive disadvantage, but it also increases the risk of injury to Carlisle players, as athletes have to move differently on grass than they do on artificial grass.
Kevin Wagner, a local resident and chairman of the Carlisle Area School District’s social studies program, urged board members to reconsider spending nearly $ 1.4 million on artificial turf prior to the vote.
This would cause irreversible environmental pollution by contaminating the soil with plastics and blocking the uptake of carbon by removing natural plants, Wagner said. The layers of compacted sand and rubber would kill organisms in the soil and increase the risk of surface runoff, he said.
School board member Rick Coplen, who was on the task force that formulated the multi-year plan, said Thursday that the first phase upgrades would not only provide students with health and fitness benefits, but also opportunities to develop character, citizenship exercise and develop leadership skills.
“There are negative environmental impacts [but] A number of mitigation measures are already planned for this, ”said Coplen. These measures include the eventual recycling of the artificial turf and a water management plan to address potential drainage issues.
“When you weigh that against all the benefits, I think it’s still a project we should be doing,” said Coplen. “I strongly support it.”
Email Joseph Cress at jcress@cumberlink.com.
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