Remove Snow From Liverpool High School Turf Field

This petition is requesting the Liverpool Central School District (“LCSD”) Board of Education authorize and approve safely removing snow from the field turf within the Liverpool High School stadium.

It remains very difficult for undersigned LCSD voters to see no action by the school district to safely remove snow from the field, when many other regional school districts and colleges use appropriate snow removal equipment to do the same. Many LCSD community members volunteered their time and served on the stadium committee for over two years. The intent of the committee was to have a stadium with field turf so LCSD student-athletes and community youth leagues could use it during seasons which included inclement, snowy conditions. The intent of the committee was to have the school district secure the appropriate snow removal equipment and utilize such to safely remove snow from the turf over the course of the life of the field. That was one of many messages LCSD asked committee members deliver to the community when the final proposal was put to a vote.

After the stadium referendum was approved by voters, the stadium committee was unaware the school district board of education decided to extend the manufacturer's standard eight year turf warranty an additional two years, with the agreement that doing so would contractually prohibit LCSD removing snow from the field. As a result, the LCSD turf field will not have the snow removed unless the board of education amends the extended warranty with the manufacturer or voids the extended two year warranty with the manufacturer.

It is not clear how much due diligence was performed by the Board in analyzing the cost benefit of such an additional two year warranty over a 10 year period, as there are 10 years worth of additional transportation expenses associated with our teams traveling to other facilities, and paying those facilities to use their turf field when our field is unusable (example - see March 2013 and March 2014 girls lacrosse at OCC). Of course it is difficult to quantify the competitive disadvantage associated with our lacrosse teams not having access to a field during the month of March when many other school teams do.

The field is not usable three months of the year (December, January and February) as there are no sports teams that need the field during those months. Generally the turf is covered with snow most of March, and as a result, the student-athletes in the spring season may not use the field during March. If the field is not usable each March for 10 years, that equates to 11.1% of potential lost field time.

On behalf of all of the past, current and future student athletes (and coaches) adversely affected by the existing policy, the undersigned voters and/or taxpayers in the LCSD respectfully requests the board of education vote to approve the removal of snow from the turf field using industry-standards or manufacturer’s standards and equipment associated with such snow removal.