With surveying and soil testing underway at Springdale High School’s soccer field, Springdale Borough officials continue to look for money to improve Veterans Memorial Field.
The school board in November hired FieldTurf USA, a Georgia-based firm, to complete surveying, infiltration and soils testing at the soccer field at a cost of around $20,000.
The firm’s crews have begun that work, said Allegheny Valley School District Superintendent Patrick Graczyk.
“They’ve started at the field,” Graczyk said. “They’re on schedule.”
While the district is considering a multi-use facility on school grounds, officials also have said the soccer field is not in good condition and needs attention. Improvements are needed at the field, regardless of whether the football team ultimately plays there.
Veterans Memorial Field along Lincoln Avenue, which is owned by the borough, also needs attention. Both the district and borough officials have said there is an issue with a leaning wall along the bleachers at the field.
For years, the school district leased Veterans Memorial Field for the football team’s home games, but the school district terminated that lease a few years ago. The team played its home games last season outside of the district.
It has not been determined where the high school football team will play this fall.
Borough council in October awarded a roughly $580,000 contract to Panza Landscaping, of Harmar, to install a retaining wall and sidewalks and to improve drainage at Veterans Memorial Field. Two companies submitted bids, and Panza was the lowest responsible bidder.
Council members this week said the contract is contingent upon the borough obtaining funding through avenues such as grants.
Council President Michael Ziencik said that, recently, there haven’t been opportunities to apply for funding sources for the field, but that officials are continuing to look.
“It’s a lot of money that we would have to come up with,” he said. “It’s almost five mills of our taxes.”
