So what’s going on out at the football field? It’s the new surfaces Modoc players and coaches have wanted for years with work officially underway Apr. 15 and scheduled to be finished by Hellas Construction in time for the start of summer football practices Aug. 3.

    New natural turf for the high school football field and a polyurethane track will cost approximately $1.1 million, and the district will obtain a loan to fund the field.
   "I think it’s great for the kids because in the past, we football coaches always had to keep kids off the grass to keep the field in shape for games, but now we can have everyone on it, even when it rains,” athletic director Willie Williams said. “Everyone will benefit because they’re laying some rock and sand with a new drainage system, so it won’t be a problem during the rain.”
    Similar to the surfaces at Baylor’s Floyd Casey Stadium and the Waco ISD Stadium, the new turf and track became necessary after many years of normal wear and tear, along with major work on the two practice fields located beside the football stadium.

    According to administrative assistant Lori Mynarcik, the district received bids to repair both fields totaling $88,140, but this bid did not include any work on the practice fields used by soccer and other activities on the south side of the campus, so it was reasonable to assume that the cost to repair those fields would have been approximately the same amount.

    Given this scenario, the School Board members were presented with information to repair one practice field and install artificial turf on the playing field. The playing field will also be able to be used for practice for football, as well as the band and soccer team, eliminating the need for the other practice field altogether.

    Board members weighed the cost of maintaining the fields (water, repair, labor) and in comparing that cost to the estimates for an artificial turf, it was determined that over the next ten years, the cost would be about the same. The Board then decided that the artificial turf was the best option for the District. 

    The Board of Trustees and Administration are pleased to be able to provide this upgrade to the athletic fields for the students of La Vega ISD.