Denham Springs Education Committee Recommends

Improvement to High School Football Stadium

Installation of Artificial Turf Will Increase Use and Save Money

            School administrators and retired educators in the Denham Springs School District, along with central office personnel, are asking the Livingston Parish School Board to approve the use of dedicated capital improvement funds to pay for the start-up costs associated with installing an artificial turf field in the Denham Springs High School Jacket Stadium.

The funding request is a “second-phase” recommendation from a group of educators in the Denham Springs area who were gathered to review capital facility needs and prioritize funding requests for the high school.  The school board will consider the recommendation at its 7 p.m. meeting tomorrow  (July 22).

Two education committees, one representing Denham Springs High School and the other representing Denham Springs Freshman High, recently presented a $6 million request to the board to construct a two-story science and technology building at the high school and a two-story cafeteria and technology building at the freshman campus.  Both projects were approved in June, and funding will come from reserves in a dedicated facility improvements account for the Denham Springs School District.  No new taxes or state funding will be used for the projects.  Rather, these funds have been accumulated over time through savings and have been reserved for one-time capital improvement projects.

Denham Springs School Board Member Buddy Mincey, Jr., said the high school committee recommended turfing the football field as a “No. 2 priority” after it was determined that the high school athletic department would help pay a significant portion of the cost through fundraising efforts.

The total projected cost of converting the existing grass field at Jacket Stadium to a year-round, all-weather turf surface is approximately $700,000.  The committee is recommending that reserve funds pay for the bulk of the start-up costs, approximately $500,000, and the remaining $200,000 be paid through fund raising efforts by the Denham Springs High School Athletic Department.

Denham Springs High School Athletic Director Dru Nettles said his department has begun a fund raising campaign titled “Turf the Nest” to raise the funds.  He said the effort has already gained the support of many parents and students, alumni and members of the Denham Springs’ business community.

“Everyone seems to agree that an artificial turf field in Jacket Stadium would greatly benefit many of our school and community programs, and it would save our school thousands of dollars each year in maintenance costs,” Nettles said.

Nettles said his department has created a brochure and posted information about the “Turf the Nest” campaign on the high school web site at denhamhs.lpsb.org/turfthenest, including information about a fundraising gala on August 20 at Forrest Grove Plantation in Denham Springs.

He noted that the stadium field is used by the three Denham Springs High School football teams (varsity, junior varsity and freshman); three junior high football teams (Southside, Denham Springs, and now, Juban Parc); and two community youth football organizations, each with three teams (Southside Patriots and Denham Springs Jackets).  It is also utilized by school and community soccer teams, cheerleading squads, dance teams, the school’s marching band, school physical education programs, school and community organizers for fundraisers, and for high school graduation.

“Last year, some of the regular activities held in the stadium could not be held there because of the poor condition of the field.  An artificial turf would mean fewer rain outs, fewer hassles and delays and greater revenues gained for our local programs thanks to our ability to host more local events,” Nettles said. 

He said a scheduled home football game for a local youth football organization could not be played in Denham Springs last year because of poor field conditions, so it was relocated to Zachary High School because that school’s stadium has an artificial turf surface.

Mincey said an artificial turf would save the high school nearly $20,000 per year in field maintenance costs.  “There would no longer be a need for mowing, fertilizing or painting the field,” he said.  “Plus, the life span of an artificial turf field is about 10 to 12 years, so the monies saved each year could go toward purchasing a replacement surface when that time comes.”

Mincey also said he the education committee members support the improvement to the football stadium because it benefits a large number of people and programs.

He said if the funding request is approved by the board, then he hopes the new field can be installed in Jacket Stadium by May 2011, possibly in time for the school’s graduation ceremony.

Members of the Denham Springs High School education committee who participated in the review process included Kelly Jones, Denham Springs High School principal; Patty Dumiller, former DSHS principal and current district supervisor of instruction; Butch Wax, former DSHS principal; Lloyd Degeneres, former DSHS assistant principal; and Lloyd Wax, former DSHS principal and former district assistant superintendent.