I don't think we as taxpayers should pay one dime toward field turf. The track yes if it needs replacing but not field turf. We are pinching pennies everywhere we don't need field turf. Unless you can get someonelse to pay for it like Middletown did. Another pet project like the High school gym that the residents were supposed to be able to use, nothing more than a special interest. If they want it let them pay for the study and 100% of the cost.

I agree with Mark D, not one taxpayer cent should go toward field turf. We are talking about high school sports NOT a professional sports franchise. Some people in Portsmouth seem to get that confused.

This is the Gym fiasco all over again. When will these politicians learn we are getting fed up with them wasting our money. The people did not give them a blank check. it's called the school department not the sports department their job is to educate the children not run a sports franchise. Nothing in this proposal relates to education it is only for extracurricular activities.

It's all about keeping up with the Jones'. Our grandfathers etc. did not play on field turf so why should our children today. RI and Portsmouth seems to forget allthough we like to act like the Jeffersons and move it on up, we don't have the cash to back it up. So, what's next, portable coverings for all students who have to wait for the bus in the rain? Everything is run on a want and not a need. What a shame!!!

"Synthetic turfgrass costs more, a lot more, than natural grass to install and maintain, concludes a University of Missouri Extension turfgrass expert."

Who is going to pay for the upkeep?

http://www.nchsaa.org/page.php?mode=privateview&pageID=85

Some of the major findings of this longitudinal study include:

1. Grade Point Average: the mean GPA for athletes in the study was a 2.86, while the mean GPA for nonathletes was only 1.96; over the three years of the study, the GPA of athletes ranged annually from 2.83 to 2.91, while that of the non-athletes ran from 1.84 to 2.03.

2. Attendance : the average number of absences was significantly lower for athletes than nonathletes; the mean average number of days missed by athletes was 6.52 days per 180-day school year, as compared to 12.57 days for nonathletes. Basically, athletes averaged missing over one week less of school each year during the three-year period than did the nonathletes. The variations from year to year for each group in the average days missed was minuscule.

I thought Portsmouth was broke. I know, we can send all our children out on the new field every Wed when the teachers have their professional development. Oh and just because someone may have lots of cents does NOT mean they have sense, as in common sense. One word for this project FOOLISH!

Gym fiasco all over again, a new turf field fiasco and a wind turbine fiasco all in the same place ! Looks alot like a three-ring circus.

When this was first proposed I was not in favor of replacing the natural surface. And, I looked at the cost and upkeep a little bit. What I found was that colleges and professional teams where the field is used ONLY for football prefer natural turf. With ONLY football, it’s easy to maintain. There are fewer injuries on a properly maintained natural surface than compared to an artificial surface. “Properly maintained” are the key words there. The general condition of the PHS natural surface probably results in more injuries than an artificial surface. It’s hard to maintain with so much use. PHS field is used by more than one team and for more than just football. Beside varsity football games there is freshman football; boys varsity/JV/freshman soccer; girls varsity/JV/freshman soccer; boys varsity/JV/freshman lacrosse; girls varsity/JV/freshman lacrosse; and Pop Warner football (there may be an extra JV/freshman in there…but you get the idea). As it is the field has only the few months of the summer when there isn’t something happening on it. Sure, “our grandfathers” didn't play on artificial turf, but when they played I don’t believe there were nearly as many activities as there are now. It makes the field more difficult and costly to maintain. With switching to an artificial surface there is some upkeep/maintenance that will go away, and some that will be new. But in the long run, with so much activity on the field, artificial turf may save us money.

Robert E, you obviously weren't an athlete in high school if you think getting rid of sports is the answer. So many students, past and present, use sports as an outlet for their anger and to wind down after a hard day at school. As a past athlete at PHS I had a 3.3 GPA with challenging courses. Times have changed since you went to school. Yes, athletes used to be viewed as stupid but now, there are currently 6,999,506 NCAA Student Athletes and guess what? They have to maintain a GPA of 3.0 just to be accepted into the program so all those athletes you think don't deserve a turf field are working their butts off on and off the field. Also, majority of these athletes are involved in other extracurriculars such as DEBATE and STUDENT COUNCIL. And oh by the way, sports has brought a lot of recognition to the school. Do you have any idea how many student athletes go on to play sports in college out of Portsmouth? Doesn't matter if it's NCAA or club. There are DI (that's the highest level of NCAA in case you didn't know) Club teams out there better than some DII and DIII teams. SO get over yourself and get off the high horse you rode in on. No one wants to hear it. There is a private donation coming in for $500k and the other money will be raised by fundraiser through the school. And JUST in case you were wondering. Where do you think the money for the current upkeep comes from? Tax dollars. SO that wouldnl't change anyways except it will be less.

Jordan it's not just sports it's all after school clubs its all money we do not have at this time. The town is laying off teachers and all people are concerned about is do we have a winning football team talk about misplaced priorities. A 3.3 gpa will mean nothing if the school would loose it's accreditation. Student athletes both in high school and college are a small percentage of the student population but receive a lions share of after school funding. The upkeep of the turf field and its eventual future replacement would fall on the taxpayers and the fact that a turf field costs more in maintance seems to escape you. I don't feel we should be paying the upkeep on the field we have now if you wnat to play pay for it yourself by law as a taxpayer I have to pay for your education but I do not have to pay for your recreation.

Okay. You obviously didn't really read anything I said or you're just that thick-headed. And if you knew anything you'd realize that we had a large amount of teachers retire this year. I'm pretty sure that's different from firing... just saying. Portsmouth High School has a good balance when it comes to priorities. What you're suggesting is a complete mistake. Talk about accreditation? Take away sports and all after school activities and you'll lose the small in-flow of new people along with all the current kids because their parents will send them to private schools or move so that they CAN play sports. You need to look at this from both sides.

Jordon you don't get it we are in the middle of the largest recession since the great depression both my wife and I have been layed off and I am just trying to keep a roof over my head and food on the table and after school football is not on my list of priorities. If more parent send their kids to private schools for sports good that will lead to lower costs to the school dept. Lower school attendance is a good thing for the tax payers.

Robert E – There is such a place where schools don’t have athletics or other after-school activities. It’s called Afghanistan. Oooo…sounds so fun!

Actually, in Afghanistan and other third world countries, they play soccer anywhere they can. It's usually on a dirt field. We really should tell them the game is not rewarding if it's not played on the finest of surfaces.

Mark and Robert, I totally understand your positions. With that said, good news....

"with the majority of funds to be obtained through fundraising..."

You don't have to pay for it!

A lot of people that support the fantastic Portsmouth sports teams like girls and boys soccer, freshman, jv, varsity football, girls and boys lacrosse, and girls and boys track and field are excited to start raising funds to make this happen.

On a side note, it's hard to put a value on the effect of school pride. I believe that sports teams/facilities that the students and community are excited about can have a very positive trickle down effect.

Mike Cloud graduated from PHS in 1994. Were there as many sports/games being played on the PHS field at that time? The argument that colleges and pros play on natural grass is not really relevant. Those fields have one game per week played on them, and only 6-10 games per football season. The PHS field has varsity/JV/freshman/girls/boys football, soccer, lacrosse, and Pop Warner. The fact that one person had the talent enough to get to the pros doesn’t mean the field is in good condition.

we need to learn from the wind turbine fiasco that something that seens like a great idea and a great deal usually is not. Some times it's better to stick with the old technology then the new.

Town council ??? Are YOU LISTENING ???? DO YOU HEAR?? YOUR OUT!! THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. PAY For The Windmill Out Of Your Own Pockets. We outa SUE YOU!!! Careful how you walk.. Different crowd now.!!!