West York Area School District

Where will graduation be held during construction?

• Graduation will be held inside the gymnasium.

What vendor will you use for the turf?

• Vendors have not been selected yet. We will update the website as vendors are selected.

Will the fields be artificial turf or grass?

• The main football stadium and the multipurpose field will be synthetic turf. Refer to the Proposed Plans page for specifics.

What is the cost per artificial turf field?

• A stand-alone synthetic turf field is approximately $900,000.  A competitive-quality natural turf field costs approximately $300,000. The biggest difference between the two is usability, natural grass is recommended to be used +/- 35 times a year.  Synthetic turf is unlimited.

What is the life expectancy of each artificial turf field?

• Synthetic fields carry an 8-year manufacturer warranty, and the typical life expectancy is 10 – 12 years.

What is the cost of additional equipment to maintain artificial turf fields?

• A grooming brush is recommended as monthly maintenance. Other than that, it is recommended to have the fields deeply cleaned/conditioned once or twice a year and tested for hardness (g-max).

Why does the proposal not line both turf fields for all activities? 

• The actual lining of the turf fields will be addressed when the project moves forward. 

What consideration was given to the overall evidence of better grass safety over turf fields? 

• Safety is always our priority when it comes to athletics. The board studied the available safety evidence for using artificial turf for the main stadium and the multipurpose field before making a decision for the project. In addition, the board surveyed district stakeholders to understand how the parents of athletes and community members felt about students playing on artificial turf. The survey results showed that just over half of the survey-takers (55%) preferred artificial turf to grass.
• Field usage is the main reason the Board selected the artificial turf option for the stadium and multipurpose fields. The landscape engineer explained that a grass surface can support 35 “uses” annually. A “use” occurs when the field is used (practices, games, band walk-throughs, etc.).  With the District's small footprint, there is little opportunity to build new fields on the High School/Middle School campus.  The Board felt that two turf fields would provide the needed flexibility and increase opportunities for usage - especially during the fall season.

Will the Middle School football practice field and lacrosse fields be lighted?

• The plan includes lighting lacrosse and Middle School football fields.

Does a particular booster club still run the concessions, or can other WYASD groups that need to raise money – thespians, band, sports other than football, etc., raise funds from these concessions?

• Currently, football game concessions benefit the Instrumental Music Booster Club, and there is no plan to change that.  However, since there will be more than one concession stand in the stadium, there will be opportunities for other clubs and sports to sell concessions during events in the main stadium as well as the multipurpose field. Joint concessions are also available at the baseball/softball fields.

Is the track still open to the public for walking/running?

• Yes, it is open to the community with the following exceptions: 
  • It is closed to the community during school hours and if an event occurs (football, track meets, etc.)
  • It will be unavailable during construction.

Why are we installing an eight-lane track when only 522 kids have participated in Track in the past five years?

• An eight-lane track will allow the District to host State, Regional, and Local Invitationals that cannot be run on an eight-lane track.
• Secondary physical education classes will also use the track.
• Community members who use the track for running and walking will benefit from having more lanes.

What consideration has been given to a swimming pool since swimming is a life skill, and we have had a swim team for nearly 30 years and rented a facility that focuses on their needs, not West York's?

• The prior School Board considered a swimming pool when the high school was renovated in 2015 but ultimately rejected the proposal due to costs outweighing the long-term benefit.

 How can we consider other projects when the lights for the soccer field are not finished? 

• This project proposal includes having soccer playing under lights.