REGENTS TO DECIDE ON HOUCK TURF

Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents will vote Friday on a plan to tear out the natural grass field at Houck Stadium and replace it with synthetic turf.

The university administration will recommend the regents hire Vibra-Whirl of Panhandle, Texas, to install FieldTurf brand synthetic grass at a cost of $744,021.

The contract is contingent upon sufficient funding, said university President Dr. Ken Dobbins. The university hopes to have the new turf in place by the start of the fall semester.

School officials say it's a winning move that will allow Houck Stadium to be used for football, soccer and other activities. It also could help the university land a quality football coach and ultimately improve the fortunes of the football program, Dobbins said.

"I think this is a good opportunity to upgrade Houck," he said.

Installation of synthetic grass is one of three projects on the regents' agenda. The other two are the construction of a lighted intramural playing field and tennis courts at Sprigg and Bertling, and a commuter parking lot on Henderson Avenue.

The regents meeting begins at 10 a.m. Friday at the University Center.

Dobbins said the university foundation has secured pledges of about $210,000 toward the turf project, but the foundation needs to raise at least $90,000 more in pledges before the work can proceed.

Private donors are expected to contribute $300,000 to $350,000 toward the project.

Dobbins said the university hopes to have the private funding in place by the end of the year.

Revenue from guarantees paid to Southeast for playing Division 1-A football teams over the next five years and additional ticket sales are expected to generate $250,000 to $300,000. The remaining $144,021 would come from university funds.

Dobbins said the university plans to play one guaranteed game a year for the next five years. The university expects to pocket about $50,000 after expenses for each of those games.

"We are looking for teams we can be competitive with," said Dobbins. "We are not playing Nebraska, Florida State or Virginia Tech."

Don Kaverman, Southeast's athletics director, said the synthetic grass should help boost the football program.

"It is the most dramatic thing you can do in terms of rehabilitating an older stadium," he said.

The new field will be 70 yards wide by 120 yards long to accommodate soccer.

The track on the north side of Houck Field will be eliminated, Kaverman said.

Dobbins and Kaverman said the new turf would allow Houck Stadium to be used for a variety of events, including band contests and soccer tournaments.

Dobbins said the addition of an intramural playing field at Sprigg and Bertling would expand the university's recreational complex to three lighted fields.

Eight lighted tennis courts also are slated to be built on the Sprigg and Bertling site. That work is expected to cost about $500,000 and is part of recreation improvements already budgeted.

Funding for the $300,000 intramural field project will come from student recreation fees. The fees will generate an estimated $75,000 a year for four years. The new field likely won't be ready for use until 2001.

With construction of the new tennis courts, the existing tennis courts on Henderson will be eliminated. The university plans to replace the old tennis courts with a parking lot that can accommodate about 120 cars.

The parking project is expected to cost $200,000 to $230,000 and will be financed from the university's parking services fund. The work will be done next summer, with the new parking lot and the new tennis courts slated to open in August, Dobbins said.

The work will mean tennis players will have to use other courts in the city next summer, but Dobbins said the parking is needed.

The university's new transit route for shuttle buses also will include a section that will border the new parking lot.