When the Prague Red Devils play their first home game of the 2022 football season, they will be playing the contest on a new artificial surface.
Prague School Supt. Kevin Engle 2 explained this week, “The artificial turf will be put down in July and should be ready sometime in August.”
He noted, “The plan is to play our first home game of the season on the new turf against Meeker on Sep. 2.”
Engle 2 said that construction on the sub surface work began in late April.
“McKee Utility, LLC of Prague is handling all of the work in preparation for the turf. It’s being donated by McKee. All we have to pay for is the turf itself,” he added.
He believes, “It’s a game changer for us. It’s a blessing.”
Engle 2 emphasized, “McKee is handling all of the rock, piping, engineering, surveying. They’ve done a tremendous job, they are a tremendous partner.”
Total cost of the artificial turf itself for the football field is $442,600. “That includes a brock fill and a brock pad. That makes it a safer playing surface in terms of concussions and it reduces the risk of concussions.
“It also makes the temperature of the surface the same as grass,” Engle 2 said.
The superintendent said that United Turf and Track is handling putting down the artificial turf. “Once the sub surface work is completed, it will take two or three weeks to put down the artificial work,” he related.
He pointed out, “The money to pay for the new artificial turf is coming from our building fund. We have a lease-purchase through BancFirst, but the money has been building up thanks to our school board and prior superintendent.
“Also, we will use about $81,000 from our Redbud account, which is money from the marijuana fund.”
Engle 2 said the infields of the softball and baseball fields also are getting new artificial turf. Just like the football field, McKee Utilities, LLC is also donating all of the sub surface work on those two projects as well.
He said, “All total, their donation will be upwards toward a million dollars, including all three fields.”
Cost of the artificial turf for the softball infield is $129,889 and for the baseball infield it’s $199,527, he said.
Those, too, are being paid for from building fund money and the Redbud account, he stated.
Work on the softball infield will begin as soon as the football field is completed. “Our hope is by the end of the season it will be finished.
“Some other work is being done on the softball field,” he noted.
“The baseball infield will be last since the season doesn’t begin until next spring,” Engle 2 said.