By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board accepted donations Monday night to build two new soccer fields at Hays High School.
Superintendent Ron Wilson said the gifts were the equivalent of $60,000 to $80,000 in donations.
Silas Hibbs, HHS soccer coach, presented the proposal to the school board. Also on hand were members of the HHS boys soccer team.
Hibbs said all the work on the fields have been committed for the project.
HHS currently has one soccer field. It's used both as a practice and game field and by both girls and boys soccer for JV and varsity play.
The program has about 80 students involved across the boys and girls teams. The boys play in the fall, and the girls play in the spring. In addition, the field is used for summer programs for all ages.
"As you can imagine, there is a lot of wear and tear if we are not very careful or good stewards of our facility," he said.
The soccer program has donations committed for dirt work, trenching, irrigation, landscaping, soccer backstops and grass seed.
The donors at this time have said they wish to remain anonymous.
See a more detailed list of the donations in the graphic below.
Hibbs presented several alternatives for the locations for the two new fields.
One of the fields would be a practice field. The other would be a designated game field.
Hibbs noted Hays does not have a practice-only, soccer-dedicated field in Hays.
"This is something that the soccer community has realized," Hibbs said. "They see the value. They want that. This is important to us."
The location on HHS' campus also means students would not have to drive across town for practice.
Hibbs said he hoped there could be learning experiences for students in building and maintaining the fields in the areas of business as well as landscaping and conservation.
Work on the fields will begin immediately, with the hope the fields will be ready for the fall 2021 soccer season.
Board member Lance Bickle expressed concern about the availability of water for the fields. The district has several wells in the area.
Bermuda grass has been chosen for the fields because of its drought hardiness.
Wilson said the district has the capacity to water the fields at this time. In the case of a drought, the district would have to do its best to keep the grass alive with the water available.
The alternative would be to install a turf field at the high school, but the district does not have the funds at this time to do so.
Board member Allen Park asked how the field would fit into the district's strategic plan.
Wilson said the new soccer fields would not preclude the addition of a new softball field, which has been on the district's wish list. However, funding is not available to build a softball facility at this time.
Board member Tammy Wellbrock, who was participating in the meeting via Zoom, said, "I realize this may cause some changes to our overall strategic planning with a softball field, but I strongly feel and encourage the rest of the board to support this donated effort.
"It still fits within our overall goals to provide quality offerings to our students. This is an opportunity we can't afford to pass up."
Park also asked about maintenance. Wilson said maintenance would be minimal. There would be additional mowing, but the district is also no longer mowing at the former Washington or Munjor schools.
Park was the lone vote against the project because he said he did not have enough time to consider the project.
Volleyball system
The district also approved the installation of a new volleyball net system in HHS' gym B.
Part of the funds for the $31,000 project came from capital improvement funds. The rest of the money came from HHS-specific building funds.
This will allow Hays High to be eligible to host sub-state competitions.