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Beatty Field renovations begin on Tonganoxie High School campus

By Shawn Linenberger - | May 18, 2019

Work begins on installation of field turf at Beatty Field in Tonganoxie. The project started Monday and is expected to take 80 days at the most, weather permitting. Tonganoxie-area businesses, residents and alumni have pledged donations of nearly $300,000 so far to get the project up and going. The Turf 4 Tonganoxie comittee still is in the procss of getting pledges of just more than $100,000 for the project. The district also is contributing up to $250,000 to complement the private donations.

The grass surface is all but gone at Beatty Field.

Crews started prep work for the field, which will have artificial turf installed in during the next 2-3 months.

Tonganoxie USD 464 board members unanimously approved installing field turf at the stadium.

The cost of the project, per the contract with ATG Sports out of Andover, is $655,500. A few items included in the agreement are an eight-year base warranty of all base work, rock and drainage under the turf which guarantees against soft spots, low spots and drainage problems, along with a grooming device and a no-change-orders guarantee. That means the bid includes all items necessary for the project. Any additional would come if the district added additional scope to the project.

Community donations are to fund at least $405,500, with the district paying up to $250,000.

Board member Kaija Baldock said Tuesday that $299,741 has been pledged so far. She said there are additional donors this week who could push that number over the $300,000 level.

Donors, especially those who pledge at the higher levels, can pay in equal installments up to five years.

The board approved a bid from First State Bank and Trust to finance the loan for principal of $750,000 at 0 percent for five years with annual payments and no prepay penalty.

For the project to become a reality for the 2019-20 school year, the board required that at least $250,000 be pledged by March 1.

The community exceeded that, which Baldock said made her “want to do cartwheels about that” during an earlier board meeting.

The project is expected to take up to 80 days to be completed, so it will be ready for 2019-20 school year and preseason fall practices in August.

The first team likely to play its first varsity contest on the turf will be the THS soccer team, as soccer usually opens the season a few days earlier than football. The first varsity football game of the season will be Sept. 6 against Spring Hill.

Interestingly enough, in 2017, Tonganoxie was the first opponent to play on Spring Hill’s new turf, which ATG also installed. Spring Hill, in fact, built separate football and soccer fields side-by-side.