By Cindy Kranz
The Cincinnati Enquirer

ANDERSON TWP. - Don't call it a turf war. It's a turf dilemma.

The Anderson Athletic Boosters is offering to buy and install synthetic turf, to the tune of $500,000 to $700,000, at Anderson High School's football field.

However, the Forest Hills School District's Board of Education may vote to reject the offer at a meeting Monday night because it's concerned about public perception of the project, along with future costs associated with maintenance and replacement in eight to 10 years.

TURF DEBATE

The Forest Hills School District is soliciting input from the public before Monday's 6 p.m. meeting. Call the district office, 231-3600, or e-mail ahsturf@foresthills.edu

The board is especially sensitive because the district narrowly passed a 4.9-mill operating levy in November - one of the few Tristate districts to approve a school issue in recent months.

"It's imperative that our residents understand that absolutely no district dollars will go toward the implementation of this project," said Board President Forest S. Heis.

The 300 boosters plan to fund the project through contributions from businesses, parents and alumni, along with a bank loan. Fund raising won't begin unless the board gives the go-ahead.

Paul Gelter, president of the boosters, said the field would be used for football, soccer, band, physical education, lacrosse, and conditioning for baseball and softball.

"It's really just taking advantage of the space," he said. "Now, it's only used for 15 games a year. It could be used day and night almost every day of the year. It would keep more kids on campus so they would not have to go off campus to practice and play. "

The board wants assurances from the boosters that they'll also absorb the costs of replacement, estimated around $250,000. Boosters are looking at several options to generate revenue, including money from rentals and banking money saved from not having to purchase grass seed.

Public reaction, so far, has been mixed.

"Some people say we should put that money toward education," Gelter said. "But this is what we do. We raise money for athletics. The band boosters raise money for the band."

The school board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday to decide whether to approve the synthetic turf project. If the project is approved, the boosters hope to have the turf installed by August.At least five schools in the Tristate have installed or are installing artificial turf. They're making the move because of better usage of the field, safety and cost savings.

Mariemont installed it last summer at the high school, where the field is now used for football, soccer and lacrosse.

"We've been using it almost daily since August," Superintendent Gerry Harris said. "It's been very successful for us."

A group of citizens approached the Mariemont board last year and committed to installing the turf. The citizens came up with two-thirds of the money. To get the turf in place before the start of the school year, the district came up with the other third, but with the commitment from citizens to raise more money, Harris said.

With the citizens' continued fund-raising, the district's ability to rent the facility and money saved from upkeep of the grass field, the artificial turf will pay for itself, he said. The plan is to continue to rent the field, and the monies the district brings in will be escrowed for future repairs or replacement.

"It's been very popular," Harris said. "It has generated significant dollars in rentals. ... The concessions in our stadium are in the hands of the Fine Arts Boosters, so the arts program has really increased its income because of rentals and the crowds brought in.

"There were people who doubted the wisdom of the board putting any money into it at the time. That was a year ago. Now, everyone sees it as being a very, very good deal. It's been safe. We haven't had to cancel any events. We've gotten good income."

Highlands High School in the Fort Thomas Independent School District also installed artificial turf last summer. The turf is being paid by a group of local citizens and the city of Fort Thomas.

E-mail ckranz@enquirer.com