The Okaloosa County School Board unanimously approved a $5.1 million project Monday to install artificial turf at four high school football fields, a decision the District says is driven by safety concerns, maintenance challenges and savings from previous construction projects.
- The board voted 5-0 to convert natural grass fields to synthetic turf at Choctawhatchee High School, Niceville High School, Crestview High School and Baker School. The project will cost $5,072,237 for turf installation, with an additional $51,925 for engineering services.
“When you’re trying to maintain them in dormant seasons, and it’s being used constantly for different events and other sports, it’s hard for a field to grow and to come back from the damage that is caused by the use,” said Grant Meyer, Assistant Superintendent. “And that’s the biggest thing – the usage of our fields.”
Meyer said field usage has increased significantly over the past decade with the addition of girls flag football, lacrosse and multiple team levels. He noted that 23 other fields are being installed throughout Florida in the same timeframe.
Safety concerns drive decision
Charlie Marello, Principal at Niceville High School, provided specific examples of safety issues with the current natural grass field, which serves football, soccer, flag football and lacrosse programs.
“In the last two years, [on] two separate occasions, I was the admin on duty for a lacrosse game,” Marello said. “And on two separate occasions, the officials came over and say, ‘we can’t start this game. There’s a hole here.’”
Marello described keeping a utility vehicle with dirt and a shovel on hand to fill holes before games. He said drone footage from April showed how little grass remained on the playing surface after the sports season.
- “Sand is not a consistent surface. Sand is dangerous for kids to be running out there,” Marello said, referring to the base layer underneath sod.
Marello also detailed drainage problems at Niceville’s field, which has a creek bed underneath the north end. After a thunderstorm before the home opener last season, the field was in such poor condition that a middle school game was canceled to preserve it. When a middle school game was allowed two weeks later after similar weather, the field sustained significant damage.
“The next morning, I go out there and I take a picture of what the field looks like at Niceville High School,” Marello said. “It’s four to six inch ruts everywhere. It’s divots, it’s mud, it’s muck.”
Long-term maintenance plan
Board Member Tim Bryant raised concerns about future replacement costs, referencing a previous board decision to resurface Fort Walton Beach High School’s field.
“In 10 to 12 years, none of us are gonna be sitting on this board,” Bryant said. “And I don’t want to put us in a position where these have to be replaced and there’s no money there.”
Superintendent Marcus Chambers said the district will set aside money annually for each turf field to ensure replacement funds are available when needed, typically after 10 to 12 years.
The project costs vary by school:
- Choctawhatchee High School – $1,342,968
- Niceville High School – $1,124,709
- Crestview High School – $1,306,612
- Baker School – $1,297,948.
Engineering costs also vary significantly. Dr. Bill Smith, program director of facilities planning, explained that Niceville’s engineering services cost only $6,600 compared to $13,350 at Choctawhatchee and more than $15,000 at Crestview and Baker because the City of Niceville agreed to allow stormwater drainage into an existing retention pond across from the high school, eliminating the need to build new ponds.
Funding from capital savings
Board Member Brett Hinely emphasized that the project does not use sales tax revenue but rather comes from savings generated by a local contractor in a competitive bid situation.
“This was not originally part of the budget,” Hinely said. “After we got our bids and validated everything – come way under – and this was available for us to do this.”
- Chambers said the savings allowed the district to complete all four fields at once rather than spreading the project over approximately five years.
Board Member Parker Destin noted that Fort Walton Beach High School already has artificial turf, installed in 2004 and replaced in 2017 at a cost of $425,000. Meyer said the district will now be responsible for maintaining and eventually replacing that field as well.
Board Chair Dr. Lamar White asked whether middle school fields would receive similar upgrades in the future, noting that Okaloosa County has a full slate of middle school athletics.
- “As we go into the future there will be discussions about other types of fields that we’ll look at,” Chambers said. “There’ll be discussions of other athletic facilities that we’ll continue to look at as well as part of a plan.”
Bryant noted that the new turf at high schools will benefit youth leagues, which had been unable to use Shoal River Middle School’s field this year due to poor conditions.
Meyer said the synthetic turf provides year-round availability, consistent playing surfaces, improved drainage and reduced maintenance costs. The fields will serve multiple sports including football, soccer, lacrosse, flag football, marching band and ROTC, as well as community events and graduation ceremonies.
