The new District 113 school board voted unanimously Monday in favor of installing synthetic turf at Deerfield High School’s Adams Field.
During , board member Harvey Cohen asked the assistant superintendent of finance, Barry Bolek, about the funding source for the turf project.
Since then, Bolek has worked with Assistant Superintendent Sue Hebson to devise a funding structure to enable the turf's installation as well as other athletic field improvements and wetland enhancements -- with financial room to spare should any emergency repairs emerge.
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The Deerfield High School Booster Club presented the school board with a check for $250,000 as an initial payment for the field resurfacing and promised additional annual payments over the next six years. The district will fund the remaining $250,000 balance for the turf project.
Some of the funds will come from the Deerfield Park District.
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“I am happy to report that since the time of our last meeting, the Deerfield Park District approved and committed to a $50,000 payment to our Making a Difference campaign,” said David Haas, vice president of the booster club.
The money has reduced the Booster Club’s payment burden from $20,000 to $10,000 each subsequent year until the cost of installing the synthetic turf is paid off.
“We do not foresee any problems in fulfilling our obligations,” Haas said.
John McGuire, one of the parents who spoke in favor of the board’s approval of the turf project, said he personally will never benefit from the Adams Field resurfacing, but, as a parent, he felt the improvements were important.
“It’s a good thing to do for the kids in the community,” McGuire said. “We’re simply asking to be offered the opportunity that was offered Highland Park High School last year.”
The new synthetic turf would allow Deerfield High School to use Adams Field for physical education classroom use during the day, which is currently not an option.
“Study and careful planning have been under way for four years; thus, there is great excitement to begin this project,” Hebson wrote in an e-mail to Patch on Tuesday.
“Utilizing the campus grounds for both physical education classes and numerous sports teams is a high priority. It has been historically under-utilized because of the flooding that occurs,” she added.
The board also approved the first phase of improvements to Deerfield High School’s athletic field as well as the wetland enhancement project. The vote Monday night was 6-1, with Annette Lidawer dissenting.
Lidawer said that she thought the work was not a pressing need and that the district should be focused on immediate needs during times of financial hardship.
The wetlands project will rework the high school’s “back 40” to address flooding on the baseball, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey fields in four phases, each to be completed as funding becomes available.
The project is being pushed forward by a $20,075 grant from Lake County Stormwater Management to rebuild and restructure wetlands at Deerfield High School. The project is estimated to cost $345,780.
Prior to the votes, new board members and and re-elected members and were sworn in as outgoing members Helene Herbstman and Ken Fishbain took their leave.
Cohen was elected president for the coming year. He succeeds Bonnie Shlensky, who remains on the school board.
