"In 20 short months, the dream has become a reality"

by Aaron Gray
agray@digitalsports.com

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It took local and state governments less than two years for their highly-optimistic vision to come to light. That was the reason for plenty of smiling faces at the official unveiling of the turf playing surface at North County High School (Md.) on Tuesday.

"This is a great day for Anne Arundel County and its athletics," said Greg LeGrand, the Anne Arundel County Coordinator of Athletics. "We've been waiting a long time for this day to come. There was a lot of skepticism coming in but once we started to get going, everyone was excited."

The county's goal to cover 12 public school fields with artificial turf -- North County, Arundel and Annapolis will be ready for the fall season -- was considered a pipe dream by many when the plan was revealed last spring. But County Executive John R. Leopold announced in mid-December the Maryland Board of Public Works approved funding to outfit the first three high schools with safety turf playing surfaces at their existing stadiums, which put the wheels in motion.

"We're really just excited for the kids," said Erik Robey, the Assistant Chief Administrative Officer in the county, also dubbed one of the 'quarterbacks' of the project.

"This is going to improve the level of safety in Anne Arundel County and improve the amount of use these fields get. For years, these were considered just high school fields. Now, were going to have youth teams along with high school teams (using the faculties)."

A joint-use agreement between the county public school system and the Department of Parks and Recreation was a key element. The turf surfaces will attract a heightened use of the facility beyond school hours and on the weekends, and the joint-use agreement specifies when the fields will be used and by whom. The two departments also worked together during installation, bidding and will determine responsibilities for the facilities.

"The installation of these safety turf fields increases the community's access to recreational facilities and further extends our partnership with the county public schools to serve all residents," Leopold said in an earlier press release. "Not only do safety fields significantly reduce maintenance costs, but they also provide a year-round all-weather, unlimited, and uniform playing surface that all members of the community can enjoy."

Program Open Space, a national program that provides dedicated funds for state and local parks and conservation areas, paid for about 80 percent of the $8.8 million project and the county will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of each field.

POS director Chip Price said that similar safety turf facilities have been set up in Howard County. Baltimore County is currently pursuing the idea of installing turf surfaces at its high schools.

Tuesday's ceremony took place on the 50-yard line of the stadium and included speeches from the people who made it happen. There was a ceremonial "first football pass" from Leopold to Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell while several North County students and recreation players also got in on the action.

"The turf surfaces are really a great investment," said House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis, who attended the event. "I say that because now you can use these fields 365 days a year, for physical education classes, for all your sports and the community can come in and use it. It's really all about taking the land and infrastructure we already have and putting the best product on it."

North County's field is complete -- Annapolis and Arundel are days away -- as Phase 1 of the four-year project is just about finished. The second phase, which includes Glen Burnie, Meade and Severna Park will start this winter. Phase 3 includes Chesapeake, Old Mill and Southern while the final phase is Northeast and South River.

The Broadneck boosters were partially reimbursed for the turf surface they paid for and installed over two years ago, Department of Parks and Recreation administrator Franklin Chaney said.

Based on formal recommendations submitted by LeGrand and other constituents, the Anne Arundel County Board of Education unanimously agreed Aug. 15, 2007 on which schools would be the first to get the turf fields.

The Office of Athletics and other central office personnel visited all 12 schools and evaluated each one before LeGrand recommended the order of installations to the Board Of Education last August. Several other factors were considered before the recommendation to the board was made, including field and stadium conditions, stadium usage, student participation and community involvement.

The report revealed the county's South region schools -- South River, Southern, Annapolis and Broadneck -- had the best conditioned fields among the 12 in the county. It also suggested that Meade, Severna Park, Arundel and Glen Burnie would have the highest repair costs dues to their aging irrigation systems.

Soon, all 12 schools will have turf playing surfaces and the whole idea of rainouts will be obsolete, just one of the factors considered when county executives started work on the project a mere 20 months ago.

"It all started with a vision," Department of Parks and Recreation Director Frank Marzucco said in his speech to an estimated 500 people in attendance Tuesday.

"It's been said that vision, without action, is merely a dream. In 20 short months, the dream has become a reality."