School officials are excited to be taking the next step in repairing the City High multipurpose field.

School Board President Marla Swesey said the board has a responsibility not only to look forward to new opportunities but to keep up the existing school grounds.

"Even though we like to make future plans, we have to make sure we upkeep all our current facilities," she said.

The board voted to accept a bid to rebuild the City High multipurpose field after some geothermal wells installed in 2007 caused a drainage problem that made the fields unusable.

The proposed bid would include an addition of new turf and two new rotating goal posts to the City High field.

School Board member Tuyet Dorau said she was most concerned about the rotating goal posts. She wanted to be sure the new field was not simply exclusively for competition use.

Yet her concerns were quickly abated by Athletic Director D’anne Kroemer, who said the goal posts may be used if the main field is deemed unusable but the main purpose of the field would not be competition use.

"In my five years at City, that field has not been used for competition at all — it is in our eyes usable if deemed necessary meaning our game field would be unplayable," Kroemer said.

The bid was approved with no dissenting voice.

School Board member Karla Cook hopes the new multipurpose field will give all the students the opportunity to use the field all of the time 24 hours a day.

"It’s just the next step in the process to get the turf installed to get the field usable for more than just part of the day," she said.

City High Principal John Bacon said the school is overjoyed the repairs are going to move forward.

"We’re extremely excited about this project — there are just two practice fields, and those fields receive a high amount of traffic," he said.

Bacon said the school has struggled with the field falling into disrepair because so many student use the field throughout the day. The bottom field will get turf grass rather than planted sod. However, the top field will remain unchanged pending further discussion, and the field will most likely be replanted.

Bacon emphasized the field would be used by more than just sports teams; physical-education classes, band, would use the field.

"It’s going to benefit every student at City High School," he said.

Swesey said the School Board has planned on repairing the field for some time.

"The bid order is not a surprise," she said. "… We felt as a board it was a necessary project for City High."