Officials Delay Local Field Treatment

Administrators at Cedar Ridge say the athletic fields have bare patches and rocks, which creates difficulties for fall sports.

Kenneth Davis, assistant director for Orange County school maintenance, said the drought is one cause of the fields' problems.

"The fields had sprinklers, but they stopped being used because of the drought," Davis said.

After a meeting last Monday, the school board members said they will gather information about all the options before treating the athletic fields.

"One of the things we were looking at was just to reseed it and fertilize it and hope for rain," said board member Delores Simpson.

She said the board also was looking into providing a water system for the field.

But Simpson added that a water system could cost about $40,000, while reseeding the field would cost $15,000.

"We have other projects that are under way," she said. "We have to find the option that is more feasible and most economic."

Simpson said money is a problem because of recent budget cuts.

"The board needs to be prudent with how they spend money," she said. "We are looking for an effective way to do that."

Board member Susan Halkiotis said the first issue to be addressed is a steady water source.

"Without a guaranteed water source, regardless of the decision all the activities will be in vain," she said. "All of the sod distributors say that without 21 days of continuous water and regular water afterwards, sodding is useless."

Although the fields are not ideal, Cedar Ridge's head football coach Lou Geary said future games will go as planned.

"Junior varsity played their first game on the fields last Thursday without any injuries," he said.

The football team has not yet played a game on the Cedar Ridge fields, but Geary said the first home game will be Oct. 11.

Simpson said parents of Cedar Ridge students attended the most recent board meeting to express their concerns.

"The first shock of the field not being ready has subsided," Simpson said. "Parents are now much more interested in discussing and waiting for the findings."

Geary said the fields' conditions aren't upsetting the athletes.

"We discussed it before the season," he said. "They're handling it OK."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.