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Welcome to HendersonCountyTurf.com, an advocacy
website for artificial turf at the Henderson County high schools.
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| Henderson County fields |
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| Buncombe and Haywood County
fields |
WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS!
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ARCHIVE (July 2007):
Story
on Buncombe County artificial turf funding. (AthleticBusiness.com)
Previously, Buncombe County Commissioners used
Certificates Of Participation ("COPs") to finance turf at
their high schools. That is still an option, although
using the N.C. Education Lottery Construction Fund is a
better one. The key point from the story now is the
fields were $580,000 each.
The Asheville field was funded separately for $600,000 by
the City of Asheville, which included new goalposts
(Hello? Hendersonville High?), two-toned turf, and
extensive graphics. Oh, and a look at what the fields
look like:

A.C. Reynolds |

Asheville |

Enka |

Enka |

North Buncombe |

Owen |
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T.C. Roberson
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| All seven photos from
AthleticBusiness.com |
NEWS (Jan. 27, 2010):
Artificial turf discussed at Henderson County Commission
budget workshop!
Just got back from the meeting.
Commissioners were discussing capital projects like the
proposed soccer complex in Fletcher. Issue was raised
whether artificial turf would be a better investment.
After some discussion and confusion on the cost of turf, it
was suggested by Chairman Bill Moyer to have the topic on
the agenda for a future meeting so staff can get more
accurate numbers.
Thanks to Commissioner Chuck McGrady for contacting me on
the original soccer complex proposal, as it brought up the
topic of artificial turf. He is the primary reason
this issue is now up for consideration.
Also thanks to Commission Mark Williams for suggesting if
there were turf at the high schools to make sure there's a
partnership between the schools and Parks and Recreation to
have more programming there. (This is something
advocated here.)
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THE HORSE IS OUT OF THE BARN!
NOW IS THE TIME TO GET INVOLVED!
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(Photo:
bctornadoes.com) |
NEWS (Jan. 25, 2010): Brevard
College and Brevard High School need turf as badly as we
do!
It's not just Henderson County that needs artificial
turf at our high schools. Brevard High School
shares field with Brevard College.
One football game got moved to Asheville High School due
to heavy rain.
Another game tore the football field all to heck and was
called the "Mud Bowl." This is NOT a safe nor
productive surface for any team sport! |
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ARCHIVE (Originally published 5 and a half years ago!)
Green with envy. Local coaches comment on
need for artificial turf. Note the costs of resodding and
maintenance of grass fields, quoted as $15,000-$50,000 a year.
If the savings from artificial was just $20,000 a field (a very
low estimate), over 4 fields, that's $80,000 a year, or $800,000
over 10 years! One of three things could be done with the
savings: 1. Put the savings towards the financing
payments of the turf fields, reducing actual cost. 2.
Give the money to the school system's general fund, which means
a partial transfer in effect from the lottery construction fund
to the general fund. 3. Save the money. Build
up interest over 10 years and when the fields are replaced they
have the money for the first couple of payments. |
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NEWS (Jan. 19, 2010):
AstroTurf
another company to use cooler technology to reduce turf heat. |
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NEWS (Jan. 7, 2010):
Citrus Bowl field turns to mud during Capital One Bowl (Orlando
Sentinel). For those who romanticize about
how grass is always better than artificial turf. The grass
field was in disgraceful condition due to overuse, misuse, and
weather, and was subject of national ridicule.
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VIDEO of the disgraceful grass field at the Citrus Bowl
(wftv.com). Even Penn State coaching legend
Joe Paterno said the grass was too high and was worried about
players already with leg problems. |
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NEWS (Jan. 4, 2010):
Artificial Turf in Henderson County. (This
was a paper written for college, detailing why we need to get
with the 21st Century and go to artificial turf!) |
| NEWS (Jan. 4, 2010):
See our photos on our Facebook page! |
NEWS (Jan. 4, 2010): New "green"
artificial turf system may be helpful in expanding
outdoor sports due to much cooler (and organic) fill system.
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NEWS (Jan. 4, 2010):
HendersonCountyTurf.com is launched. Please
be patient. We'll get information on this website as fast
as possible. Please let everyone know.
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ABOUT
HENDERSONCOUNTYTURF.COM
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Greetings Henderson County!
Thank you for visiting.
I created HendersonCountyTurf.com as an advocacy and news
website discussing the need for artificial turf at Henderson
County high schools.
Asheville, Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, and Haywood high
schools have it. Some of those systems have much less
money than Henderson County. Appalachian State, Mars
Hill, and Western Carolina also have it. Brevard
schools and Brevard College are starting to talk about it
themselves.
We have been needing better recreation infrastructure for
years. For example, the fields at Jackson Park are
hopelessly inadequate and many soccer players have to play
in leagues in Buncombe County, costing this county a lot of
economic impact and tax revenue.
However, can we afford to do what Asheville and Buncombe
County has done, which is build soccer complexes AND install
artificial turf at their high schools, leaving many fields
greatly underutilized?
No, we can't. We must be smarter than that. It
seems to me that the high schools are more important to
address than a complex for just one sport.
I believe the most economically rational approach would be
to have artificial turf at our high schools, but the
difference being we really rent them out on weekends and the
summer for soccer and other recreational sports, to get more
"bang for the buck."
The North Carolina Education Lottery provides a construction
fund which could be used for this project (like in Haywood
County for their two high schools), since it does indeed
promote physical education for our kids.
We should also use 21st Century technologies to provide
cooler turf fields to get as many hours of use as possible.
The opportunities that artificial turf could bring to
Henderson County could be wonderful, but only we make real
commitments on some of them BEFORE the funding is approved.
Things like more women's sports in high school, more youth
and adult soccer leagues and tournaments, etc.
Artificial turf also offers opportunities for concerts and
major political events in the future. Or, if Blue
Ridge Community College were to add other outdoor team
sports, they could rent out one of our high school fields,
since we'd have turf there.
And we can pretty much avoid having to cancel, postpone, or
move high school soccer games as had happened way too often
in 2009.
Once approved, this website will monitor the process of
approving a bid and the construction of the turf fields, to
let the public be aware so we get maximum value for our
money.
During the process, this website will give updates and
provide information for the public and our elected officials
as needed.
Please join our
Facebook group as well. We have materials on this
website that I encourage you to forward to friends who may
be in agreement.
Again, thank you. Please help the effort to help ALL
of the outdoor team sports in Henderson County.
Dennis Justice
HendersonCountyTurf.com
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