Prep Football

Bentonville ready to put new turf in stadium

Bentonville players run through situational game plays Friday, May 23, 2014, during Bentonville High School's spring practice at Tiger Stadium in Bentonville. The team will be getting a new turf field over the summer.
Bentonville players run through situational game plays Friday, May 23, 2014, during Bentonville High School's spring practice at Tiger Stadium in Bentonville. The team will be getting a new turf field over the summer.

BENTONVILLE — The time has come for Tiger Stadium to receive a new look, and the same goes for the Tiger Athletic Complex soccer field.

The turfed playing surfaces at both locations have become so worn that the creases are quite noticeable to anyone who walks out on them. Athletic director Scott Passmore said his department will take the first step toward that happening at 2 p.m. today, when bids for the new turf will be accepted.

“Where we are right now, we are beyond the warranty,” Passmore said. “The seams have failed, the fibers have failed. We’re just at the end of the life span of this turf.”

Turf Sponsorship Levels

Any businesses, companies or families that donate certain amounts of money toward the new turf surfaces at Tiger Stadium and the Tiger Athletic Complex soccer field will be honored in the following manner:

• Legacy Sponsor ($5,000 per year for 10 years or $45,000 in advance): Will receive three logos — all 7 feet by 10 feet in size — as well as a number of other recognitions. Sponsor logos will be placed on home and visitor sidelines at Tiger Stadium and on the home side of the soccer field. These sponsorships are good for 10 years, as well as any additional life to the turf surfaces.

• Tiger Sponsor ($3,000 per year for 10 years or $27,000 in advance): Will receive one 10-foot by 15-foot logo to be placed on the north end of Tiger Stadium, as well as a number of other recognitions. These sponsorships are good for 10 years, as well as any additional life to the turf surfaces.

Athletic director Scott Passmore said he has already received $890,000 in commitments from those who have signed an agreement, and there are eight sponsorships remaining as of last week. Anyone who is interested in becoming a sponsor may contact Passmore at 254-5170 or email spassmore@bentonvil….

Field turf was first installed on Tiger Stadium before the 2005 season began, but it had to be replaced as a result of the March 12, 2006, tornado that came through the area and damaged part of the turf. The turf at the soccer field has been in place since the first match was played to start the 2006 season.

Passmore said the school district spent more than $50,000 two years ago for tiny black rubber pellets that were used to extend the life of the turf. It helped, but only for a short time, and any time heavy rain left water standing on the field provided an extra problem.

“We were close a couple of years ago to having our field too hard to play on,” Bentonville football coach Barry Lunney said. “Springdale experienced it with its turf before it was replaced.

“We put some more rubber on it, but the problem with that is the fibers start to wear out on the top, which don’t hold the rubber in very good. You’ll see loss of footing, but what happens mostly is the rubber starts flying out. Heavy rain, which we’ve had some, will raise that rubber and wash it off the field.”

The cost of the turf work, as well as the installment of a new 11 1/2-foot by 36-foot high-definition screen on the Tiger Stadium scoreboard, has been estimated at $1.2 million. If all goes as planned, the work will be done and paid for without any funds taken from the school district budget.

Passmore came up with a fundraising idea for the project, which included the usage of permanent sponsorship logos that will be woven into the turf on both fields for those who donate certain amounts of money. He then presented the plan to the school board in November and received approval for it.

“A lot of our funds in the district are focusing on growth and new construction for buildings that directly affect kids, their education and their curriculum,” Passmore said. “I was prepared when I went to the board to present the information in a way where we would raise funds for this.

“We really started in January in working hard with the fundraiser to get out and promote the project. That’s where we are at. We’re at the stage where we have a game plan, and we’re going to get it replaced.”

Passmore said he’s already received interest from a minimum of eight companies that are ready to make bids on the project. He hopes to have something in place where he can present the bids at the school board’s pre-agenda meeting next week and get an approval.

If work can start some time in mid-June and utilize the two “dead week” periods the school’s athletic teams must honor, then the field could be done in time for the Northwest Arkansas Music On the Move event. That performance is set for July 15 at Tiger Stadium and will feature eight music groups from across the country.

If not, installment of the new turf may have to wait until after that event, which means the new surface wouldn’t be in place until early August and bumping into the start of preseason football workouts.

“There’s a lot of things that come into place,” Passmore said. “Number one is the opening of the bids, and although we’re doing this with a fundraiser project — there will be some banks involved and bonding involved and paperwork that has to take place there.

“That could take a couple of weeks to completed. We also have the awarding of the bid and the approval from the school board, and approval with anything we do with the banks involved and the bonding. The best scenario is we want to start as early in June as possible.”

Other than the logos, the only other significant changes will be the installment of a “B” at midfield, and the end zones will say Bentonville instead of the current Tigers in preparation of Bentonville West beginning its football season in 2016. Passmore said he hopes the new turf surface will last about 12 years.

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