Including six football fields, two soccer fields, baseball and softball fields and track and field areas, Warsaw Community Schools currently maintains 34.2 acres of athletic fields, Director of Maintenance Greg Schroeder told the Warsaw School Board Tuesday evening. And this year, the maintenance department will start maintaining the elementary school soccer fields. Schroeder attended the school board’s public work session to discuss the awarding of athletic field maintenance bids. The board will vote on the bids at its regular meeting Feb. 25. The athletic field maintenance bids include $14,753.30 from The Hill Company/Turf Venetures, Erlanger, Ky.; $26,174.30 from Harrell’s, Fort Wayne; and $20,837.16 from Helena, Fort Wayne. In looking at the total program, costs this year will be $61,765, up from $52,700 in 2012. Schroeder told the board his department goes through a number of different materials to maintain the school corporation’s athletic fields. “It’s all about having healthy turf,” Schroeder said. He said they are looking to include the elementary school soccer fields this year because as more kids get into soccer, it’s important to take care of the fields for them. In the past, kids played on playground fields which may have holes or other problems. “There are no organized discussions about tracks at the elementary schools yet. At some sites, there is not enough area for tracks to be placed around the soccer fields,” he added. Schroeder also notified the board they will need to discuss the varsity football field at Warsaw Community High School as there still are serious drainage issues out there. Board Secretary Delores Hearn asked about the soccer field at Leesburg Elementary School as she is still receiving complaints about it and drainage. Schroeder said a couple years down the road, there will be the expense of moving the soccer field down further south on the property because where it’s at now has drainage issues. “With the estimates we’ve looked at, it is something we will have to budget for,” he said.
