The Rocky View Schools (RVS) board of trustees carried a motion to install an artificial turf playfield at the new Langdon School.
The funds for the playfield will be allocated from grants, cash in-lieu, and reserves to a maximum of $1.84 million of RVS funds.
“The Langdon site was developed in partnership with the county and RVS. We’re at a stage where we need to develop the field, and there are a few options,” RVS Director of Operations Colette Winter said during the Jan. 26 school board meeting.
The first option Winter presented to RVS trustees was leaving the field at a basic level.
“The field is not irrigated, it has grass, and RVS will do the best they can to make sure it’s a safe field for students,” Winter said. “We can spray water on it, it’s a typical field you see on a lot of our school sites.”
RVS would mow the grass, fertilize it, and paint the lines. However, the field would not be for community-use, because if it had too much use, the grass wouldn’t grow.
“It’s difficult to maintain,” Winter said.
The first option had lower upfront costs, with an initial cost of $700,000, and annual maintenance of $25,000.
The second option Winter presented was an irrigated field, with an initial cost of $1.1 million.
“Irrigating would allow the sod to grow more efficiently, allow for more use of play on the field,” Winter said. “It’s a better quality of field, and we can have more use of the field.”
The final option Winter presented to trustees was artificial turf, with an initial cost of $1.8 million, and annual maintenance of $5,000.
More than $1.3 million of the funding for the field was intended to be allocated from cash in-lieu, and depending on trustees’ vote, administration could explore other funding sources, Winter explained.
RVS administration recommended that the board of trustees provide an artificial turf playfield for the new Langdon School, with funds coming from cash in-lieu, grants, and reserve funds.
“I whole-heartily support this motion. I want to talk about what RVS can do for its students, and that’s an artificial turf,” Ward 1 RVS trustee Shali Baziuk said. “This isn’t going to be one of the high school fields, this is the only high school field, and will likely be the only high school field in Langdon for many years, if ever.”
Baziuk believed an artificial turf would not only be the best option for Langdon students, but also the best investment of funds.
“It’s low maintenance, it has the best opportunity for revenue generating rent, and it has the highest usable time. To me, that’s the best value for the dollar,” Baziuk said.
She expressed to trustees the importance of the board putting their best foot forward when they have the funds and the opportunity to benefit students in Langdon.
“RVS has an opportunity to do something really great for Rocky View kids, we have the means to do it, and it’s important,” Baziuk said.
Ward 5 RVS trustee Judi Hunter explained that the soil and water conditions in Langdon would make growing grass on a basic or irrigated field difficult.
“We need to look at the money side, our obligation is to our kids, we have an opportunity because it’s a new build, and the east side of our division is inadequate in terms of the sports opportunities for kids,” Hunter said.
Ward 2 RVS trustee and Vice Chair Shelley Kinley said the artificial turf could benefit all students in Langdon, and it would be an excellent addition to RVS fields.
“Our ultimate goal is making sure all of our students have access to what they need,” Kinley said. “The fact that this community doesn’t have a lot of other amenities shouldn’t preclude them from getting this field.”
Going forward, administration will plan for the inclusion of artificial turf fields in all future RVS high school sites.
