By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.—Synthetic turf or natural grass. That still is the question before the Henry County Schools board of education and the Henry County Commission.
At a joint work session of the commission and school board Tuesday night, the question was discussed at length: should the county schools’ district install synthetic turf on the high school football field or continue using natural grass, which will require a great deal of repair and improvement from its current condition.
Prior to the work session, the commissioners and school board members were taken on a tour of the newly-renovated facilities at the high school. Guiding them on the tour was Senior Emily Ann Smith. And the school’s culinary arts students prepared a meal for everyone.
Also present for the work session were Athletic Director Mike Poteete, High School Football Coach James Counce, Band Director Kyle Graves, members of the Quarterback Club, and interested citizens.
No action can be taken at a work session; the school board will meet Thursday night at Henry School and a possible decision is on the agenda for that evening.
At the outset of the discussion, Director of Schools Dr. Leah Watkins listed reasons that the district is considering synthetic turf: less maintenance, less maintenance cost, reliable playing surface regardless of the weather, no recovery time between sports, and it is usable by multiple groups.
She said there also is multi-use capacity, including the potential for use by the community, school bands, different types of competitions, all of which could bring in revenue for the district. “One of our goals would be to host groups like band competitions and those bring in a lot of people and a lot of revenue for the county,” she said.
Dr. Watkins said it’s time for the district to look at what would be the best long-term solution for the system. Considering the poor shape the football field is currently in, she said, “we need to find the best solution for the long-term, not just a piecemeal solution that will be more expensive in the long-run.
“It’s about the kids,” Dr. Watkins said. “That’s always our No. 1.”
County Mayor Brent Greer said, “Our county commission members are elected by the same people who elected your school board. They elected us to serve the community. Our job is to fund requests of the school board–as long as we can financially afford to do so. Personally, I feel your job as school board is to make recommendation to our body and for us to act on that recommendation.”
Greer said, “Concern No. 1 is how guaranteed are the pledges coming from the Quarterback Club for such a project? I think this is going to take a public and private commitment to make this happen in our community.”
Greer noted that the school district’s reserves are in good shape and agreed with Dr. Watkins pledge not to be a burden on taxpayers.
In addition to the pledges from the Quarterback Club, Dr. Watkins proposed setting aside the money ($24,000 a year) already being spent on natural grass maintenance into reserve. She said by utilizing synthetic turf, the district would save some $242,000 over a 10-year period.
Quarterback Club Co-President Andy Collins said many members are waiting to hear which way the school board will vote on the issue before making more pledges. “It was never our intention to raise all the money on the front end.”
At previous work sessions and meetings, Collins had said the Quarterback Club had raised some$475,000 from fundraising efforts.
Other positives for synthetic turf, Dr. Watkins noted, are turf durability, safety, maintenance and environmental issues, noting it would conserve millions of gallons of water each year, will not require dangerous fertilizers or pesticides, and there is no contaminated storm water run-off. The synthetic turf would provide more drainage than on the current field, as well as more safety for players and a more reliable, consistent playing surface.
Photo: Dr. Watkins presents information on synthetic turf vs. natural grass at Tuesday’s work session. (Shannon McFarlin photo).