Advocates for a synthetic turf replacement of the current Hockinson High School football and soccer field have been at this for a while, and now a vote for it finally looms.
On Feb. 14 people within the Hockinson School District will be faced with a levy vote which would pay for a brand new turf field facility as well as a resurfaced track. The rate for residents if passed would be 19 cents per $1,000 of assessed home value for 2018, 18 cents per $1,000 for 2019 and 2020, 17 cents per $1,000 for 2021 and 2022, and 16 cents per $1,000 for 2023. It would raise $250,000 in each of those years for a total of $1.5 million.
An important note about the proposed rates is that existing school funding will be going down next year by about $2.75 per month for a $300,000 house. In simple terms, this means that if you own a $300,000 house you would pay about $2 more each month to help fund the improved field and track.
Those heavily in favor of the levy have become known as member of a group called “Got Turf?” For months they’ve been pushing hard, saying a replacement would be “all for the cost of a cup of coffee or two a month.” They’ve been recruiting others to get on board with the following points of debate:
• The current cost to maintain the grass field on an annual basis is $79,790. It is estimated that the annual costs for repairs and maintenance for synthetic turf would be between $2,000 and $2,500.
The district is currently limited in allowing one youth football league access to the field a few weekends a year. If it was turf thousands of dollars could be generated in rental fees from youth football, soccer, and lacrosse.
• A synthetic turf field would enhance the image of the school and the district. Soon Hockinson will be one of only two high schools in Clark County playing on grass. The only other grass field doesn’t face the same drainage challenges as Hockinson’s.
• During the playoffs, Hockinson teams have to play at another stadium (rented by the district) because playoff games are not allowed on grass. The district also has to rent turf fields for playoff practices.
“We are certainly hopeful (the levy passes),” said Chris Robertson, spokesman for “Got Turf?” “We have received a tremendous amount of positive feedback.”
The current field’s problems are that the water table is so high and drainage is so inadequate that no one (including P.E. classes) is allowed on the field except during games because by the second half of the fall sports seasons it essentially becomes a giant mud pit. For the girls soccer team this last season, senior night was held over in Ridgefield; only four of their 16 total games were played in Hockinson.
If the levy passes the upgrades to the facility would be done over the summer and completed by the start of fall sports in August. If it doesn’t pass, Robertson said “we are unaware of any other available funding option.”
According to Got Turf?’s website, the overall goal is simply to “transform the place that draws more people together in Hockinson than any other. We want to turn the mud bowl that is our football and soccer field, into a place we can all be proud of,” a statement on the site reads.
“This has truly been a grass-roots community effort,” added Robertson. “Replacing the turf and track is necessary, and this vote will allow that to happen in a way that will maximize the value of the other athletic facilities at the high school. This project is at the confluence of so many things that make Hockinson great, from Friday night football and marching band field shows to every-day hard work at soccer practices.”
To learn more about the proposed levy, conditions of the current facility, and potential benefits of the turf field/resurfaced track visit gotturf.org.
