Palmer, Colony score field turf in state budget

PALMER — A little less red should lead to a lot more green for a pair of Mat-Su Valley schools.

State appropriations to help fund the installation of field turf at Palmer High and Colony High dodged the red pen and recent vetoes made by Gov. Sean Parnell, and both projects appear to be headed to a concrete planning phase.

Governor Parnell announced his capital budget vetoes earlier this week, and the funding for local turf field projects was not among the $400 million cut from the Legislature’s capital spending.

“Ultimately, our governor and our legislators realized how important this is,” Colony High activities director Mike Boyd said.

Colony High was appropriated $785,000 in the current budget and will have that money to put toward its turf field project. Palmer High scored $800,000 and can add that to the $500,000 it already had from a previous state appropriation.

Palmer High appears to be well on its way to boasting a turf field, with a total of $1.3 million. Colony High is sitting with just more than half of Palmer’s total, but Boyd said work is under way to add to that total. Both Boyd and Palmer High activities director Jeff Thiede are confident their schools’ football teams will be playing on a new turf field during the 2012 prep season.

Mat-Su Borough School District Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Ken Forrest was also pleased with the news.

“It’s a huge step and we can’t thank the Legislature enough,” Forrest told the Frontiersman on Thursday. “I’m pretty confident we have enough to do Palmer. I have to see if we have enough to do Colony. It’s close.”

Officials from both schools would also like to see improvements made to their running tracks. Palmer High has a synthetic track circling its main game field, but it’s been a victim of many years of wear and tear. Colony High has an asphalt track in desperate need of an upgrade. When constructed, the track was measured in yards, not meters, which creates more of an issue.

The school district’s proposed $215 million bond includes $6 million — a $3 million split for both schools — for Palmer and Colony athletic facility improvements. With a yes vote later this year, and a 70/30 split with the state, Valley residents would pay $1.8 million of that.

If that is approved, both schools would have the ability to see the complete upgrade. But thanks to Governor Parnell keeping this money in the budget, Palmer and Colony can finally see the idea of turf become a reality.

Boyd said Rep. Bill Stoltze and Sen. Charlie Huggins have been two of the biggest proponents of bringing turf to the Valley, and CHS officials are thankful for Governor Parnell’s support.

The addition of field turf will allow for the use of the fields to grow exponentially.

“The biggest thing is that field gets about 150 hours of use per year. This will bring it to 500-600 (hours),” Boyd said. “It’s just the only thing that makes sense.”

The Palmer and Colony prep football and soccer teams are the obvious benefactors, but many other groups can take advantage.

“It’s not only for the school, it’s for the community,” Thiede said.

Turf will also eliminate the hundreds of man-hours it takes to maintain the natural fields each year, Thiede said.

“It’ll definitely help the coaches. They can focus on the kids rather than trying to get the field ready,” Thiede said.

Forrest said borough and district officials will put together a game plan.

“Now we need to sit down and determine what this means, what the (financial) flow is from the state to the borough, when the funds will be available and how the borough wishes to process these funds.”

Forrest also indicated the turf fields could be ready for the 2012 season.

“This is a next summer project, I think,” Forrest said.

Boyd said he’d love to see the turf field ready in late June 2012, when CHS is set to host the annual All-Alaska Football Camp.

“I honestly believe we’ll have it for our All-Alaska Camp,” Boyd said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.