School officials up funding for athletic field

Burbank school officials have agreed to spend $330,000 more than the $420,000 they had already voted to spend early this summer to upgrade a field at Burbank High School.

The board approved spending $420,000 in June to lay down synthetic turf on the school’s dirt practice field located between the main football field and basketball courts.

On Thursday, the board approved the additional $330,000 to pay for lighting, storage and concrete to surround the field and the cost of architectural fees, bringing the total tally to $750,000.

The decision to make the upgrade has been a long time coming, school officials said.

The dirt area, about half the size of a football field, is located where Burbank High’s old gym was before it was torn down and a new one was built more than 10 years ago.

While athletes have practiced on the dirt, it hasn’t been used for any regulation games.

“It’s more than just an eyesore,” school board member Charlene Tabet said on Tuesday. She added that the area could be used much more efficiently.

Once the turf is laid down over the dirt, Tabet said it will give students access to more space for practices, potentially alleviating time conflicts when teams need access to fields at the same time, such as soccer and football players whose seasons can overlap slightly.

The renovation could also allow youth soccer leagues or other community groups to utilize the field.

“It just has 101 different uses available to it,” Tabet said. “Every little bit [of space] that we could get is just good for our community.”

The district will spend deferred maintenance funds on the upgrade, and it will likely take a month to complete.

David Jaynes, assistant superintendent of administrative services, said he’s planning for the project to be complete by the time next school year begins.

Jaynes said the project will be done over the summer because the turf on the football field has started to wear thin earlier than anticipated and must be replaced, probably in November. During that project, teams will have to use the dirt practice field, he added.

The manufacturer of the turf on the football field is giving district officials a deal, charging them only $150,000 to replace the turf, Supt. Jan Britz said in an email. That project is expected to be considered by the school board soon.