RINGGOLD, Ga. — Though the upgrade didn’t come as anyone would have wanted, Ringgold High School will be the latest northwestern Georgia school to install an artificial turf football field.
The Catoosa County school board unanimously approved this week a $250,000 loan to replace the tornado-destroyed field at Don Patterson Stadium. Ringgold athletic director Robert Akins is about to decide — maybe as soon as today — which of the five companies that have placed bids will get the job. All have been generous with their offers, he said.
“All the companies made some tremendous sacrifices to accommodate us,” said Akins, who said the final cost will be in the $450,000 range instead of the $540,000 amount that was first quoted. “We’re excited. We’ve met several times with the companies to talk specifics, and we had the opportunity to walk on every field they’ve done to get an idea.”
Work on the field will begin as soon as next week, with a projected completion sometime this winter. The school’s soccer teams will be the first to compete on the field in March, Akins said. Like the area schools that already have installed artificial surfaces — Calhoun, Ridgeland and Gordon Lee — having a nearly maintenance-free field ready for use by soccer teams, recreational programs and other community gatherings was a big reason Ringgold elected to install the artificial field.
“The main thing with me is that we want people to play on it,” Akins said. “We don’t want our field to be a restricted field just for football, soccer and band. We want the community to use it because the community has supported us so greatly in this.”