Blue turf given green light at Oxford

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

OXFORD — Finally, turf will be arriving in Oxford.

The Oxford Community Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to except a financial gift donation, plus money already raised by the public, to allow installation of a blue turf inside the track at the high school athletics stadium. Construction will commence in mid-April and the district will be not be stuck with the burden of having to raise the money for the turf.

“This is a major step in the right direction,” said Jim Reis, chairperson for the Oxford Turf Committee. “We received some great news on Monday. I know a lot of people have worked hard, done a lot of research, and now someone has come through with a donation.”

Oxford Director of Athletics Mike Watson said that a private, anonymous donation of close to $300,000 has been pledged to go along with the roughly $50,000 raised over the past year.

“There is some work that needs to be done, and we already had a bond (passed) last year for some renovations,” he said. “They have to do some work with the retention pond and drainage system, and some other areas inside the stadium, including the track. The turf will go in after that work is finished.”

The turf field will be blue, similar to the one used by NCAA Division I Boise State. Oxford’s colors are navy blue and gold. The field will be installed by Pittsburgh-based Pro Grass Synthetic Turf Systems.

With Oxford and Auburn Hills Avondale receiving turf this spring and summer — Avondale’s entire athletics complex is going to go through major renovations as well — that leaves only Hazel Park as the only school within the 26-member Oakland Activities Association that will compete with a grass field inside its athletics stadium in 2011-12. Oak Park received it last year.

All of the schools within the OAA, founded in 1994, are Class A or Class B public schools.

Elsewhere in Oakland County, of the 49 Class A or Class B schools, combining public and private schools, 38 currently have a turf field on campus for sports such as football, soccer and lacrosse. There are 11 Class A-B schools inside the county currently without turf and the aforementioned Oxford and Avondale will drop that list to nine come the fall.

The first school in Oakland County to have a turf field installed was Birmingham Detroit Country Day back in 1999.

For Oxford, which joined the OAA this school year after competing in the mostly-grass Flint Metro League, the Wildcats will be on even a more level playing field with its counterparts.

Watson was the A.D. at Rochester High in the early 2000s when that school had turf installed, when dozens of schools had turf installed not only around Oakland County, but the state as well.

“The positives outweigh any negatives,” he said. “I think everything is documented how (reliable) these turf fields are. This will be a tremendous addition to the community.”

Reis echoed those statements.

“Look at Oxford now. We have football practicing behind the school, soccer plays at the old stadium, and even the band practices on a (parking lot),” he said. “With turf, everyone can play games on the turf and practice on turf (with field availability). Plus the band can practice there, and the youth soccer teams, our lacrosse teams. We can rent out the field. It’s going to be a great for the Oxford community to finally get turf.”

Currently, Oxford’s soccer and lacrosse teams practice and play at the old stadium off Pontiac Street behind Oxford Elementary, which the football and track teams used through the spring of 2003. The turf field will allow all of these teams the option of using the turf field, with the old stadium being used as a secondary complex.

School officials hope that the debut contest will be an OAA football game with visiting Lake Orion on Aug. 26.

The Oxford Turf Committee is still raising funds to help pay for the cost and maintenance fees. Individuals wishing to donate can do so by logging onto www.oxfordboosters.com. All donations will be made through a PayPal account set up on the website.

SCHOOLS IN THE OAKLAND ACTIVITIES

ASSOCIATION CURRENTLY WITHOUT TURF

Auburn Hills Avondale *

Hazel Park

Oxford *

* Denotes installing turf in 2011.

CLASS A OR CLASS B SCHOOLS IN OAKLAND

COUNTY THAT ALREADY HAVE TURF FIELDS

Berkley

Birmingham Brother Rice

Birmingham Detroit Country Day

Birmingham Groves

Birmingham Seaholm

Bloomfield Hills Andover

Bloomfield Hills Lahser

Clarkston

Farmington

Farmington Harrison

Ferndale

Lake Orion

Madison Heights Lamphere

Milford

North Farmington

Novi

Novi Detroit Catholic Central (boys-only school)

Oak Park

Ortonville Brandon

Pontiac (Wisner Stadium)

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep

Rochester

Rochester Adams

Rochester Stoney Creek

Royal Oak

Southfield

Southfield Lathrup

South Lyon

South Lyon East

Troy

Troy Athens

Walled Lake Central

Walled Lake Northern

Walled Lake Western

Waterford Kettering

Waterford Mott

West Bloomfield

White Lake Lakeland

OTHER CLASS A OR CLAS B SCHOOLS INSIDE

OAKLAND COUNTY WITHOUT TURF FIELDS

Auburn Hills Avondale *

Birmingham Marian (girls-only school)

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood

Clawson

Farmington Hills Mercy (girls-only school)

Ferndale Academy of Oak Park-North **

Hazel Park

Holly

Madison Heights Madison

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (boys-only school)

Oxford *

*Denotes receiving turf field in 2011.

** Denotes does not have own outdoor fields

CLASS C AND CLASS D-SIZED SCHOOLS INSIDE

OAKLAND COUNTY WITHOUT TRURF FIELDS

Auburn Hills Christian Academy **

Auburn Hills Oakland Christian

Birmingham Eaton Academy

Birmingham Roeper **

Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart (girls-only school)

Clarkston Everest Collegiate Academy

Clarkston Springfield Christian

Ferndale Academy **

Lake Orion Baptist **

Madison Heights Bishop Foley

Milford West Highland Christian

Novi Franklin Road Christian

Rochester Hills Christian

Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest

Royal Oak Shrine Catholic

Southfield Akiva **

Southfield Bradford Academy

Southfield Christian

Troy Bethany Christian

Troy Christian Leadership Academy **

Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes **

Waterford Lakecrest Baptist

Wixom Christian

** Denotes does not have own outdoor fields

To submit information to www.northoaklandsports.com, e-mail dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com.  To advertise, e-mail advertising@northoaklandsports.com

Tags: featured, sports news, Turf

Category: Auburn Hills Avondale, Auburn Hills Christian Acadamy, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Clarkston, Clarkston Everest Catholic, Clarkston Springfield Christian, Lake Orion, Lake Orion Baptist, Lake Orion Shalom Baptist, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Hills Christian, Rochester Hills Lutheran NW, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy, Troy Athens, Troy Bethany Christian, Troy Christian Leadership Acadamy, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes