Turf.
SYLVA – Lawn care is on a lot of people’s minds in Western North Carolina with the weather turning warmer.
Smoky Mountain may be ripping up some grass rather than tending it very soon.
The Mustangs could begin a two-month installation of an artificial turf field as soon as April 1. They’ve even preemptively moved all soccer games scheduled for that date or later to Western Carolina University.
But hold on. A very important step in the process must still be taken.
Jackson County Schools will hear bids from potential turf companies Tuesday during a regularly-scheduled 6 p.m. board meeting. One of the bids needs to satisfy the school system’s budget for turf to be installed this spring.
“There are so many different programs that are super-excited about this,” Smoky Mountain athletic director Adam Phillips said.
“There is no final decision yet and we should know more by the middle of the week. Just the possibility is exciting for a lot of people here.”
Jackson County Schools and the Carolina Panthers announced in October that a $200,000 grant from the pro football team (as part of the NFL Foundations Grassroots Program) would help defray some of the turf’s cost.
The money needed to put in an artificial turf field can fluctuate.
Buncombe County Schools spent approximately $4 million in 2005 to turf all its high school fields and the one at Reynolds was refurbished last summer for $400,000.
Whenever the project moves forward at Smoky Mountain, the Mustangs will be the 15th WNC high school with artificial turf.
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