The company bringing artificial turf to 16 Cobb County high schools is installing 16 small turf fields at county elementary schools free of charge. However, the fields’ chief opponent said the gift is no bargain.
The school board approved the $9.3 million contract with Marietta-based Deluxe Athletics for turf installation at the 16 high schools last week. In a show of goodwill this week, the company announced plans for the free fields, a $32,000 scholarship for a high-school female athlete and donation of uniforms for a female team at each high school, company owner Chris Daniluk said.
The original installation project was delayed when Cobb resident Walter Border sued the school district for using funds from a special tax collection to pay for the fields. Last month a judge ruled that the tax money could be used and lifted an injunction holding up the installation project.
“My feelings regarding the turf have not changed,” said Borden on Tuesday. “These people have openly admitted they are overcharging the school system if they are willing to give them all this stuff free. Let them adjust their price and arrive at a real price for the [high school] football fields.”
Daniluk said the free fields will be installed using extra construction materials that accumulate throughout the high schools project.
“Instead of putting the material in a landfills and trash, we might as well put the materials to good use,” he said.
Deluxe Athletics will begin turf installation at the high schools in June and expect to have all 16 schools completed before September 2011. The average price for each field is $600,000.
Also on Tuesday, Metro North Soccer surprised county commissioners by withdrawing a request to install lights at four of its East Cobb soccer fields.
Residents in the Wellesley subdivision opposed the company’s request citing contract agreements between the neighborhood developer and the residents, as well as zoning documents restricting the lights from being installed adjacent to the neighborhood.
Metro North representative John Bujarski said the company is hoping to convince county officials of new lighting technology that will reduce the brightness of the lights, as well as work with neighbors to reach a compromise.
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