With prospective six-figure donors urging them to garner wider community support, the architects of a plan to create two additional turf playing fields at New Canaan High School are calling on local youth sports families to get behind the estimated $2 million project.
Launched about one month ago on a tight timeline, the project calls for one regulation turf field ($800,00) and one full 80-by-60-yard practice field ($400,000) by the water towers at NCHS, game-quality lighting at both ($300,000) and new turf installation at Dunning Stadium ($500,000), according to the Ram Spirit Fund’s leadership. Its committee includes the NCHS athletic director, recreation director of the town and officials from the All Sports Booster Club and youth field hockey, football, lacrosse and soccer groups.
A rendering of the planned new turf fields at New Canaan High School.
If a reasonable number of New Canaan families step up by sponsoring a square yard of turf at $500 each—the Ram Spirit Fund this week is launching a new “Our Town, Our Time” fundraising push—then the base money raised there combined with what’s been pledged will put the project on track, said Michael Murphy of the All Sports Booster Club.
“There are 3,000 youth sports families in this town and we’ve giving them an opportunity to show support for this community project,” Murphy said. In exchange, they’re receiving “name recognition and a tax write-off” as well as the knowledge that they’re “doing something for the town,” he said.
A standard American football field includes about 5,300 square yards—meaning more than $1 million could be generated if about half of those are sold.
According to the Ram Spirit Fund’s website, brick naming opportunities also are available for $250 apiece, an entry level for prospective donors.
It wasn’t immediately clear just how much money has been raised so far, beyond the larger donor pledges. A meter on the Ram Spirit Fund website that had been tracking donations read $14,000 with about one week left in April, before the meter was removed from the site.
Timing-wise, if a critical mass of community donations come in over the next three weeks, then the work itself could start next month and be ready in time for the busy fall sports season, Murphy said (see timetable in Ram Spirit Fund PDF below).
Parts of the project have been in the works for nearly two years. It received Board of Selectman approval on July 9, 2013, and Town Council approval the following week. In December, with Murphy in attendance, town officials approved $75,000 in privately donated funds to allow engineers to design a second artificial turf field by the water towers at Waveny.
Advocates say the new fields will help accommodate growing interest in girls’ sports, provide more flexibility in practice schedules across multiple sports, help kids get into springtime practice mode sooner following harsh winters and even allow New Canaan to host revenue-generating athletic contests from around the region.
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Wow. Surprised that with all of the health issues caused by artificial turf that NC would want their kids playing on these types of fields. Walking by the field near the water tower now all you can smell is that awful plastic smell, and the black pellets are everywhere. Can’t imagine what those are doing to the kids who have to breath that stuff. Do kids have to get sick, get cancer, etc. in order for people to see what a bad idea this is? Really a shame.