Come this Friday, the 10^th anniversary of the first football game ever played on the Field Turf at Wayne Jamison Field will occur when the Indians battle Buckhannon-Upshur. At Friday’s game, administrators at Bridgeport High School will make the first big step toward a capital campaign to raise funds to replace the turf.

 

And the first thing they want before taking that step Friday is input from the public.

 

Yesterday at the high school, students were asked to take part in coming up with a name for the campaign to raise the funds needed to replace the surface. The same offer is being extended to anyone in the community.

 

“Two of the biggest campaigns the school had were aided by great slogans. The track’s was ‘Track to the Future’ and when we did the turf initially it was the ‘Field for Tomorrow.’ Those helped give the campaigns an identity and, I think, helped in the effort,” said BHS Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Matt DeMotto.

 

What DeMotto and Principal Mark DeFazio are asking community members to do is to post a name for the capital campaign in the comments section below, or on Connect-Bridgeport’s Facebook page or Twitter account. From those submissions, as well as those brought in by students, a choice will be made and announced at Friday’s game. The deadline for making submissions is Thursday at noon.

 

The winner gets more than just bragging rights. DeMotto said they will receive two of the reserved seats for the upcoming season, which has a value of $200. In the event the winner would already have seats, DeMotto said they will be given free seats for the 2015 season.

 

“We want to get this started and have a new turf installed so that the next principal and administration here doesn’t have to worry about that,” said DeFazio.

The issue is that there’s a substantial cost to replace the turf. DeMotto said a solid number isn’t in place, but a conservative one – based on discussions with Field Turf and others – is well into the six figures.

 

“We’re probably looking at up to a half a million dollars. I think we’ll need at least that,” said DeMotto.

 

DeMotto said it is preferable to use Field Turf again or another high end turf. He said the product, although showing signs of wear, is reaching the end of its life. However, he said it’s still safe to play on and should be for several more years.

 

“We’re going to talk to Field Turf to see what they recommend as far as life usage. They’re the experts,” said DeMotto. “At the same time, we know it’s safe right now because we pay to have the turf safety tested and reconditioned each year.”

 

Initially, when the “Field for Tomorrow” committee was formed the anticipation was 12 years of usage. While that may be exceeded, DeFazio and DeMotto don’t want to take any chances. In fact, they began setting the stage for the funds when new bleachers were put in. At the time, the reserved seating section was installed to help provide some seed money. The process has worked as more than $30,000 has been produced in the first three years.

 

“Largely due to the reserved seating, we have $56,700 for the turf replacement to this point,” said DeFazio. “We have a long way to go and we’ll need the community’s help to make it happen.”

 

Likely in September, DeFazio said a bank account will be set up for those wanting to make donations. He also said it’s going to be set up for individuals to do it online.

 

“If we’re asking for help, we want to make providing that help as easy as possible,” DeFazio said.

 

DeMotto said the benefit from the turf to the school system and community should be unchallenged. He said that thousands of events and practices have taken places there.

 

“The only thing we’ve not allowed is that we’ve asked people not to just show up and go out on the turf,” said DeMotto.

 

DeFazio added that some groups that are school related have been turned down in recent years to avoid over  use. Outside of that, DeMotto said “we haven’t cut back on any school-related events.”

 

“We’re happy with the product and don’t have to worry about the field being ruined for an entire year if soccer and football play on back to back nights when it’s raining,” said DeFazio. “Plus, that field is used almost daily in good weather by Johnson Elementary School. The whole complex has been good for everyone.”

 

DeMotto said an announcement on where to donate and how will be made in the near future. He said they want to get everything in proper order from an accounting standpoint.

 

“We hope to be ready soon, but if someone is interested – either an individual or a business – to contribute or know more, they’re welcome to contact us at the school,” said DeMotto.

 

Call the school at 304-326-7121 for information.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows BHS Assistant Principal Matt DeMotto at the edge of the Jamison Field complex and Johnson Elementary students enjoy physical education on it. In the bottom photo, DeMotto points to some of the areas showing wear on the turf.