Turf Football Fields: A multi-million dollar plan falls short

Fundraising continues, as a plan to turn all four Green Bay high school football fields into turf is not yet a reality.

COVERED WITHSNOW, THE FIELDSLOOK THE SAME.BUT UNDERNEATHTHIS WINTER SNOW,THE HIGH SCHOOLFOOTBALL FIELDS INGREEN BAY ARE NOTALL THE SAME.A DISTRICT PLANCALLED FOR THEM TOALL BE SYNTHETICTURF, AS OF MORETHAN TWO YEARSAGO.RIGHT NOW, SOMEARE... SOME ARE NOT.SO TONIGHT, THESTORY OF THEFUNDRAISER, THATDID NOT GOACCORDING TO PLAN.PREBLE ON OFFENSEAT HOME... PLAYINGON NATURAL GRASS.PREBLE ON DEFENSEON THE ROAD ATASHWAUBENON...PLAYING ONSYNTHETIC TURF?.WHICH GRASS ISGREENER?WHICH TYPE OF FIELDIS THE MOSTWANTED?"we need a turf.

The otherschools in the area, mostof them have turfs."JEFFREY BOWERS ISTHE PREBLEFOOTBALL BOOSTERCLUB PRESIDENT,SAYS BOTH OF HISSONS PLAY FOOTBALLHERE."for the size of the school,and the amount that ittakes in impact... we needa turf."THE SCHOOL'SWEBSITE SAYS TURFCAN BE USED MOREOFTEN THAN GRASS,NOTINGWEATHER ANDMAINTENANCE.RECORDS SHOW THESCHOOL'S GOAL WASTO HAVE THAT TURF,BY THE FALL OF 2017.DAVID BERKEN IS APAST BOOSTER CLUBPRESIDENT."my kids went to preble,and my son playedfootball.THE SPECIFIC GOAL,HE SAYS:"replace the existing grassnatural surface with asynthetic, artificial turf"ON A JANUARY DAYTHAT IS THEOPPOSITE OF A WARMFALL FRIDAY... WETALK THE COST OFTHAT NEW FIELD,WHICH INCLUDES ANEW TRACK.jon: "how much money areyou trying to raise, andwhere do you stand rightnow?""ok, hold onto your socks.one-point-two is our initialgoal, and we're alreadytwo-hundred and thirtysome thousand, into ourgoal."HE SAYS THEY'VEBEEN RAISING MONEYFOR A LITTLE MORETHAN TWO YEARS."millions are hard to comeby.

Especially whenyou're selling bakedgoods, hot dogs, andburgers.

It just doesn'tadd up that quickly."BASED ON SCHOOLRECORDS, IT WASNOT SUPPOSED TO BETHIS WAY.THE DISTRICT SIGNEDON TO WORK WITH ACOMPANY CALLEDHUTERRA TO RAISEMORE THAN THREEMILLION DOLLARSFOR SYNTHETIC TURFAT EAST, WEST, ANDPREBLE IN GREEN BAYAND PAY OFFSOUTHWEST'S TURF.BUT DISTRICTRECORDS SHOW THESCHOOL RECEIVED ALITTLE MORE THANA-HUNDREDTHOUSAND DOLLARS.WE ASKED HUTERRAC-E-O ALLAN ZEISEABOUT THEDIFFERENCE.

HESAYS THE PLAN WASSCRAPPED, THEDISTRICT CALLING ITOFF.BUT HE SAYS HESTILL HELPED RAISECLOSE TO 300-THOUSAND DOLLARSFOR A FIELD THAT DIDGET PUT IN AT GREENBAY EAST."capital campaigns arevery difficult to raisemoney for.

Whetherthey're school campaignsor any other.""NOW THE DISTRICT ISSUING HUTERRA,SAYING HUTERRASTILL OWES THEDISTRICT NEARLY 20-THOUSAND DOLLARS.IN COURTPAPERWORK,HUTERRA DENIESTHAT."AS IT STANDS,SOUTHWEST ALREADYHAD A TURF FIELD.RECORDS SHOWTHERE WERE OTHERCONTRIBUTIONS TOTHE CITY STADIUMTURF PROJECT, WITHTHAT TURF INSTALLEDIN 2017.AT PREBLE ANDGREEN BAY WEST,THE FIELDS ARE STILLGRASS.THERE'S NOW AFUNDRAISER ATPREBLE... CALLED THEPREBLE PRIDESTADIUM PROJECT.AND BOWERS' HOPENOW IS THAT MOREALUMNI MIGHTCONTRIBUTE."do we have a goal date?the sooner the better."A SCHOOL DISTRICTSTATEMENT SAYS INPART...GBAPS remainscommitted toencouraging fundraisingfor the benefit of its HighSchools' stadiumfacilities.GBAPS' termination ofan Agreement withHuTerra, LLC was not areflection of a change inplans regardingfundraising, but wasinstead a decision to nolonger work with HuTerrafor other reasons.THE FULLSTATEMENT, AT NBC26 DOT COM.AND AS FAR ASOTHER LOCALSCHOOLS THAT HAVESYNTHETIC TURF.HERE'S A MAP OFSOME OF THEM,THERE ARE AT LEASTTWENTY.THIS, ACCORDINGTO THE W-I-A-A.WE HAVE A LINK TOTHE CURRENTPREBLE PRIDESTADIUM PROJECTFUNDRAISER ONLINE,AT NBC 26 DOT COM.IT'S ALMOST TIME