The long-awaited artificial turf field at Bow Valley High School was approved by Rocky View Schools (RVS) board of trustees May 1, and a Cochrane Lions Football representative said the field is anticipated to be ready to use by September.
“I think this is a great community collaboration and everyone involved should be proud,” trustee Norma Lang said.
“This is a project we have been working on for a number of years,” said Cam Cote of Lions Football.
He said the vision to build an artificial turf field for use by multiple sports organization would benefit the entire Cochrane community.
“Unfortunately, grass doesn’t grow very often here,” he said. “Grass only grows on frost-free days, so in order to open playing fields we can only do so in early May to late fall.”
The turf field requires little maintenance, only a quick brush on a weekly basis, a task Cote said Lions Football would take on, and a deeper professional cleaning twice yearly to be done by the turf installer, Morrison Hershfield.
“We will from the rentals on community time create a fund so this field is self sustaining,” Cote said of costs with upkeep for the turf.
The field can be used year round and in any weather conditions.
“We can clear the snow and go play on that field,” Cote said.
He added the turf is the same as what is being put in at McMahon Stadium in Calgary and has an eight-year warranty and a 12-year life span, at which point “we would remove and replace just like you would carpet.”
The price tag for this new field comes in at $1.8 million, which Cote said includes a 10 per cent contingency.
He said to-date Lions Football has collected $1.6 million for the cost of the field: $500,000 from the Town of Cochrane, $250,000 from Rocky View County area recreation boards, $250,000 from sponsorships and, with this decision, $100,000 from RVS.
The RVS contribution was debated, as trustee Sylvia Eggerer was concerned about taking the money from maintenance funds.
“I don’t think I can support this because of the money it would take out of our school system,” she said, but added if it wasn’t for that component she would be fully behind the creation of the field.
Eggerer was outvoted, as remaining trustees supported the move.
“We would be spending the $100,000 anyway to maintain the current fields,” trustee Bev LePeare countered.
“Over the course of the life of the (turf) field, we are going to have savings,” said Darrell Couture, associate superintendent of business and operations. “A lot of it is man power you’re going to use elsewhere, so it’s difficult to quantify the savings.”
Half of the $100,000 RVS is contributing will be used to extend the current irrigation system to water the grass perimeter of the turf field, installation of the electrical lines and score board installation will come from the board’s maintenance contingency fund. The remaining $50,000 will come from the maintenance reserves fund, which Couture said has about $1 million in it. Trustee Fiona Gilbert said though the board is taking funding out of the building, it is still for the students at the school, because the field would enhance the physical education program at the school.
Not only would the new turf field benefit Bow Valley High School students, but it will also benefit the town, because community groups would have access to the field as well.
RVS would have the highest priority of use, with Bow Valley High School having access to the field on school days until 6 p.m., but after that, community organizations could book the field.
“Even after 6 p.m. we have as much use of the field as we need as long as it is pre-booked five months in advance,” Couture said.
Cote said Lions Football made the conscious decision to have booking of the field done through Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sport Centre to ensure all sport organizations in the community have an equal opportunity to use the field. He added, like any other group, Lions Football would also have to book field time.
“We are in desperate need of sports fields (in Cochrane),” Gilbert said. “We are in desperate need for playing fields.”
“I think this is going to be a win for the students,” Couture said, “especially in Cochrane.”
