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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW SOU's Academia Latina program helps incoming high schoolers learning to lead ... Ashland Calendar, Saturday, Aug. 8 ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Affirmative actions ... SOU's Academia Latina program helps incoming high schoolers learning to lead ... Ashland Calendar, Saturday, Aug. 8 ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Affirmative actions ... School board votes to move forward on plans to replace Phillips Field Decides to shoot for 65-yard wide turf field that will cost $1.2M By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 6, 2015 @ 2:00 am By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 6, 2015 @ 2:00 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> The Ashland School District has decided to move forward with plans to replace Walter A. Phillips Field with a synthetic turf surface, but will not break ground on the estimated $1.2 million project until after the upcoming school year. The board made the decision official during a special session Thursday, voting unanimously (5-0) to replace the grass with a synthetic field that will be 120 yards long and 65 yards wide. The new field will occupy Phillips Field’s current footprint and the visitors’ bleachers will not need to be moved. The board’s vote followed a presentation by Justin Gerlitz of ZCS Engineering, who revealed cost estimates that exceeded what the district has managed to raise so far. According to Gerlitz, a field 60 yards wide will cost the district $1.053 million, a field 65 yards wide would cost $1.227 million and a field 70 yards wide would cost $1.32 million. Following a $650,000 donation by Ashland High alum and Kansas City Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie the district set a fundraising goal of $850,000 that was reached a month ago. Now that the actual price tag has turned out to be much steeper, the district will continue to raise money until the costs are covered. The plan is to raise the money by Oct. 9, after which the district can start seeking bids. “We do think (waiting to break ground) will lower our costs,” school board vice chairperson Eva Skuratowicz said. “The other reason we’re waiting is there is a big safety concern. Our facilities manager doesn’t want all these big trucks coming in while we’ve got kids at school. He just thinks that’s a bad idea.” The special session lasted about an hour, Skuratowicz said, and much of that time was spent discussing fundraising possibilities. “We need to fundraise to get anywhere near any yardage,” she said. Since the field will not be worked on in the coming months, the Ashland High football team will play at Phillips Field this season. Had construction begun, the Grizzlies would have played most of their home games at Raider Stadium. Skuratowicz said she and her colleagues are thrilled that a project years in the making appears to be heading down the home stretch. “It felt really exciting,” she said, “and I think what we’re really looking forward to is the community coming together and working together to get this field built. One of the things we talked about was that this is an athletics field. It’s going to be for as many students and as many community members as we can possibly accommodate, and we’re very excited about that.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 6, 2015 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Fantasy Football Mock Draft and Position Strategy Aug. 8, 2015 at 7:00 am Risky Players to Avoid in Fantasy Football Aug. 7, 2015 at 1:47 pm Fantasy Football Mock Draft and Cheatsheet Aug. 7, 2015 at 7:00 am Top Sleepers at Each Key Position for Early Drafts Aug. 6, 2015 at 2:24 pm Projecting the Top 10 DFS Players for the Year Aug. 6, 2015 at 1:10 pm Fantasy Football 10th-Round Values to Target Aug. 6, 2015 at 12:32 am calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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