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Sports

Martorelli Stadium turf gets makeover after Friday's graduation

Low spots on the field concerned North Hills School District School Directors Timothy Burnett, Kathy Reid and Sharon Schrim, who said they felt deficiencies during the 2010 graduation ceremony.

The eight-year-old turf at Martorelli Stadium in West View will be replaced later this month, after Friday’s graduation, with a new granulated surface that provides better traction.

The project, approved 6-1 by school board members May 23, will cost $387,500 and goes against the April 2010 recommendation of turfgrass consultant Charles Mancino with Synthetic Turf Testing Services of Columbus, Ohio. His independent review found the field passed all safety tests and could serve district needs for up to three more seasons. 

Low spots on the field concerned North Hills School District school director Timothy Burnett as well as school directors Kathy Reid and Sharon Schrim, who said they felt deficiencies during the 2010 graduation ceremony.

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Cosmetic changes to the field will include red end zones and incorporated lacrosse field markings. The red and white North Hills logo will be replaced but the design will not be changed.

The decision came as school board directors consider a proposed budget for next year that includes a 1-mill property tax levy hiking the district’s tax rate to 20.91. The increase will raise tax bills roughly $109 yearly on the average $109,000 median home in North Hills.

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North Hills Board of Directors are slated to vote on the $66.7 million final budget at 7 p.m. in the district’s administrative center at 135 Sixth Ave. The proposed increase will raise approximately $2 million in annual revenue negating $1,148,429 in proposed cuts to the district’s state subsidies and grants in Gov. Tom Corbett’s 2011-12 projected budget and the loss of $561,954 in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies. 

Waiting to replace the field, given that the item was already budgeted and the field is heavily used seems unwise, said Edward Wielgus, board of directors president.

“Three years from now I’m not sure we can afford anything. We have this money set aside now.”

School director Lou Nudi cast the lone dissenting vote.

“We should not be spending money on this project right now,” Nudi said.

Costs are more than $100,000 below the amount budgeted in the district’s 2010-11 spending plan, said David Hall, North Hills finance and operations director.

“There is no doubt the market is soft right now and the pricing came in really good. A couple of years ago you would’ve been looking at $600,000 or $650,000 to replace the turf and it wouldn’t have been as good of a turf as what is on the market right now.” 

The winning bid was the lowest of five submitted by area businesses that ranged up to $519,400.

TPK Inc. of Allison Park will begin work on the field soon after graduation June 10 and wrap prior to sports camp practices in August.

 

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the wrong day for the North Hills School District graduation. Graduation will be held Friday evening. 

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