While replacing the turf football and soccer fields are top priorities, several other ideas — such as an indoor training facility, as well as a major overhaul of the Shifley Park complex with a new layout and facilities — were presented Thursday by Owensboro High School Athletic Director Todd Harper.
Harper made it clear that much of it is “wishful thinking” because they are costly long-term projects that would require multiple approvals and funding would have to be figured out. However, he noted some upgrades are long overdue and others would put the district in a great position for decades to come.
Harper gave a thorough presentation — with some initial design ideas — to the Owensboro Public Schools Board of Education.
“We have definitely been, as a school district, the gold standard of Western Kentucky — you could probably argue for the entire state — as far as our athletic facilities go, as far back as the 1920s,” Harper said.
Rash Stadium
Possibly the highest priority on the list is replacing the turf field at Rash Stadium. He said they’ve already gotten more years of use than expected from the turf since it’s primarily only used for football.
Recent testing of the turf found that while the entire surface is technically “sufficient” in terms of safety, three spots are pushing the limits: the home sideline, the south red zone, and the 50-yard line.
“According to these tests, our turf is going to need to be addressed, sooner rather than later,” he said. “I think we’ll be safe for this upcoming season, but much after that I really think we’re pushing the limits on what we have.”
Another major project for Rash would be the addition of a better-located locker room for opposing teams. Currently it’s under the stadium, meaning the team has to walk through the home crowd.
Harper noted several other minor projects he thought could be on the agenda for Rash, including some painting, upgrades of the concession stand under the bleachers, and a new press box.
Shifley Park
The bucket list is long for Shifley Park and affects the soccer field as well as the baseball and softball fields.
While not in as bad of shape as the football field, the soccer field’s turf surface will also need to be replaced in the next few years, Harper said. It has also lasted longer than expected because of limited use.
One project Harper is passionate about is constructing a facility that will house locker rooms, restrooms and a press box on the side of the soccer field opposite the bleachers. Currently, there are no locker rooms, and the only restrooms in the entire Shifley complex are in the concession stand near the soccer field’s bleachers.
Similarly, Harper would like to see a facility between the baseball and softball fields that would house locker rooms, restrooms, and a hitting facility for those teams.
Harper also noted the layout isn’t ideal for the entire complex — there are multiple points of entry, concessions aren’t centralized, and the direction of the fields is unusual.
So, he also presented the idea of eventually changing the orientation of both the baseball and softball fields.
The rendering above shows that each field would essentially be rotated 90 degrees clockwise. From home plate looking out, the baseball field would point northeast; the softball field would point southeast.
That would leave the home plates near each other, with the spectators nearer concessions and potential future restrooms if the facility between the fields were built. It would also help create one entry and exit point for all events.
Even further long-term goals would be converting the infields — or potentially the entire fields — into turf.
“This would be a huge undertaking, I understand that, but this would be unreal,” Harper said. “This would put our facilities — as far as Shifley Park goes with baseball and softball — in great shape for the next 20 to 30 years.”
Indoor facility
Harper was especially eager to present the idea of an indoor athletic facility, saying it “is very much needed.” He said OHS has an ideal spot already to construct the facility — at the old practice football field.
Harper made it clear the facility could be used by any team, and that it greatly opens up the hours during which practices could be held.
“A lot of people would look at this as just something for football, but that could not be further from the truth,” he said. “It would basically be an open area with a turf field that has air conditioning and heat control.”
