Batavia Field Turf Brings Out Strong Opinions

From the Comments Field

Sally: Why do we need turf fields? There goes are tax dollars again.

Susan Atkinson: I have always thought that Batavia High School should have a pool. Think it is wasteful to spend this much money on artificial turf.

btown95: Artificial turf is cost effective, it's not a waste of money. More kids and groups of people can take advantage of the space when you have turf. Turf doesn't require the maintenance and money that grass does, and you don't have to stay off of it after it rains. Installing turf is a no brainer.

Kathy Gregoire: I was one of only seven people that opposed this? There is only 15-20% maximum of all students that actually play in sports or bands and they want to spend $13+ mln for this?! Thirteen million dollars would go a long way in helping the majority of kids do better academically, or help towards special services for all those troubled students that the school district were supposedly so concerned about when they wanted them to fill out that survey, or buy a lot of technology that is required our children need to know in today's times! Also, the majority of property owners cannot afford the increase in taxes this is going to cost especially when we are not going to get anything out of it. I'm pretty confident the value of my house is not going to go up because the school district has artificial turf, however, the value could go up if the school district rated much higher in academic ratings!

dave: Voters of Batavia - here's another reason why you have to get out and vote next time school board slots are up for election! Get real, school board! Voters - enough of these clowns!

Mitch Dinges: Geneva School Board said that too. Citizens can't even get on the new turf field. It's all about keeping up with the Jones'.

Sylvia Keppel: I find it hard to believe there were only 8 negatives. I was one as well. This is NOT done. There are a number of us who will put this to referendum. I will go in the morning to request a petition for referendum. Visit BataviaTaxes.wordpress.com in the coming days to see how you can help.

Debbie Nelson: Pool got the thumbs down from the community at least twice that I can recall. It was on the table in a couple referendum discussions and there was never support for it. This article is misleading in that it makes it sound like this is all being done at once. The school board ok'd the comprehensive plan for the athletic fields. It will be done in steps when there is money. The plan was developed through work with citizens, teachers, coaches, parents etc. There were multiple opportunities for the community members to come and see the plan and ask questions and give input. The meetings were held on multiple days at different time periods and were advertised on the board site and in the Patch and Chronicle.

aj12849: Am I mistaken on this? The Board has no way to actually spend our money for this without passing a new bond issue. Batavia residents have needed to vote down excessive spending plans like this before. We will have the last say; it is our money.

Unbelievable; $13M for this? A. Johnson

Gary: If they treat this anything like Geneva does, community groups, travel team soccer and Lacrosse, etc. will not be allowed on these fields that the taxpayers are building.

w_petersen: I hope this will require a referendum to fund. Plastic turf for H.S. football players for $4 million? It seems this school board is much better at wasting taxpayer money than anything else. Next election - John Dryden for school board!

BHS: I don't understand the people in this town sometimes. It's a no brainer the whole town will be able to utilize these fields. The up keep on the natural grass fields is incredibly expensive and over time this will save the town. We need to stop being penny wise and pound foolish.

GingerBee: Kathy-I am with you on this, and I suspect many more Batavia taxpayers are too. $13 to improve athletic facilities at the high school???? How about reinstating the programs they cut a few years back (Spanish, music, trades) and hiring more teachers to lower the class sizes, which have increased every year for the past few years? This was brought up during the elections in April, but it was made to sound like it was just "an idea". I never heard they were going to adopt it into a master plan. Today's paper had an article about the millions more 101 is going to get starting next year when the TIF district in Aurora that is in 101 boundaries expires. THAT'S where they're going to get the money. Well, not without a fight. Count me in for citizens action.

Firefighter 57: This school board as well as this city disgust me with the things they do with our hard earned money! There are ENDLESS other things that this money would be much better spent on! Disgusting!!

Dan: Studies also show shutting down a school 3 months kids learn nothing. 3 whole month off and now half days. When does school start again? I have been off so long I can not remember? I'm over worked and I need a raise

NEM950: I fear Batavia is turning into a town of people who are not open minded at all. This is a PLAN, unfunded, with no timetable. The Batavia facilities get constant use, and this plan, if realized, would be no different. I'd much rather have surfaces that could be used by many different groups year-round, as opposed to just varsity football and soccer. It's time for reasonable Batavians to refrain from over-reaction. If you have children in the district and attend community events, you likely understand the needs and restrictions on the current facilities. You are likely driving all over town for your child's activities because they are scheduled everywhere and anywhere. Batavia used to be a town that could work together, despite differences, to get something done and improve our town. Now, we have way too many folks that over-react to any proposed future spending right out of the gate, without adequate information or objectivity.

Batavia Resident: Once again the Batavia School board demonstrates its massive fiscal irresponsibility. If they've got $13 mil sloshing around, how about giving the taxpayers some relief from the soaring property taxes?

Rhonda Ricke: Debbie, the Spanish, music and art trades are not alive and well within BPS101. The elementary schools have lost Spanish as a second language, I do not believe anyone can argue the fact that that puts the English as first language kids at a bilingual disadvantage. H C Storm has just notified the parents that due to overcrowding issues we will lose our music and art classrooms. So I must ask, how is renovating the football field a priority?

Janet: I have had kids in sports at Batavia High if kids are going to get hurt it will be on the turf not the grass, have you ever fallen on turf? It's like falling on blacktop. Use that money for academics, we are not Geneva!!

Facebook Comments

• Tim Bonnes I'm in the same boat you are. It will look awesome but if I lived in Batavia and had to pay the property tax I would be (upset.)
• Steve Fisher Could be worse. They could build an ugly, $175,000 arch in the middle of downtown... Oh wait, they did. Batavia loves to waste tax payers' money!
• Paul Olmstead With that kinda money, we could build a indoor stadium? Then we can have graduations in school as well?
• Aaron Hollen What a waste of money!!!
• Wesley H Schmidt must be nice to have money.
• Eric Karas All these renovations and they have to have graduation in DeKalb????
• Cheryl Mullally Ryan House for sale in Batavia!!
• Gordon Long football on grass is real football u dont play in snow batavia ???
• Ruth Currie-marston Grrrrrrr
• Nikki Bobbitt They really should pay more attention to how far behind their education is compared to the rest of the nation. Coming from the East, it's not even in the same ballpark.
• Terri Bonnes It's ridiculous just like the new school, what a joke on the citizens of Batavia, more taxes, taxes, taxes. And just saying: the school looks like a prison, yuck
• Ginna Mense Blank This is infuriating!! Definitely time to get out of this town!
• Jonothan Wild Make the goal posts out of 24ct gold - go big or go home!!! 
• Jennifer Reigle Zack It is due to spending like this, that has already taken place, that we will not be able to retire in Batavia. That breaks my heart. I can't think of a better place to live, but we won't be able to afford it once we are no longer working.July 24 at 3:56pm · Like · 4
• Tom Gorr And the officials run unopposed/get re-elected! We enjoyed watching the annexation of Mooseheart for "future development of an age restricted retirement community" sneak through the system with almost zero publicity a few years ago (while the downtown rec/ pool facility debacle was unfolding)! As mentioned in the previous post...retirement? Who can afford to in Batavia! Everyone can move into the library we so desperately "needed"! 
  Time to run for office I think!
• Sue Clark Trillet NO NO NO
• Eric Anderson They are taxing me right out of town- and I'm a Real Estate broker... absolutely ridiculous-- east Tennessee is looking better every day.
• Patti Pearson-Kotz Fire them all!!!
• Brooke Marino Seriously? What a waste of tax payers money. Especially those of us who do not have (or ever had) children currently in school. And one of the main reasons we moved away. Only a small percentage of kids in HS are on a sports team, wouldn't it be better to invest the money in the majority of the kids??? Let's just spoil them even more. And then we wonder why Illinois and let alone this country is in trouble.
• Jennifer Reigle Zack Eric Anderson, we are checking out the Knoxville area this fall. It's time those who tax and spend realize these are not idle threats. People are leaving Batavia simply due to taxes.
• Steve Rakers Another example of BPS showing they own your money. Its nice, but no, you can't have this.
• Pam Moseley I think this blows!!! I remember being in school (IN BATAVIA), and the band and football baseball etc practiced on the field we had, and it was fine. If you want to copy Geneva because of it's grandeur, fricken move there!! I chose to live in this small town for the feel of it....maybe it's time to move on. DISLIKE!!!
• Ashley Schmidt Stop wasting tax payers money
• Bob Johnson What's more expensive? Bussing teams all over town to find practice space, or building the needed facilities. The facilities at the high school now are not what you would call "premier". The track doesn't have enough lanes to hold larger money making events, the band has to practice at the middle school, there isn't enough room for the maintenance department in the current building, and other teams are practicing at some of the elementary schools. Ever tried to find a seat at a Friday night football game? People go out in the a.m. to put out blankets and rexerve seats. Maybe with this we won't have to rent bleachers now. The lighting system is well over thirty years old now and is dull by comparison to lighting systems at high schoold around us. I say better school facilities adds value to my property.
• Bob Johnson Oh, and remember how rough the baseball outfields are because the football teams practiced on them all fall. Our maintenance department deserves a medal for the work they do!
• Dan Shanahan “In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.”
  ~Mark Twain
• Emilee Howington Smith I grew up in Geneva, now live outside of Knoxville, and would be happy to help any of you relocate here. Just so happens I'm a Realtor. I have several friends who I am helping find retirement homes here. We have no state income tax, are an hour from the mountains and 6 hours from the ocean. Contact me if I can be of any assistance.
• Rhonda Ricke Meanwhile the children at HC Storm are having their music and art rooms taken away due to overcrowding,this has me outraged. What part of having no money does the district not understand? I also will not tolerate another tax increase, time to push for referendum and put an end to some of this nonsense.
• Stephen Staniszewski This is ridiculous. With taxes already as high as they are, and more people moving away from Batavia, you would think the officials would heed the wishes of the residents. But that is not the case. I agree the previous posts, I will not be able to retire here. What a shame.
• Bill Ahlgren School board says they aren't sure yet where the funding will be from....Bahahahahaha!
• Linda Sama Karl outrageous and disgusting