Wayland Union Schools next year will convert the current grass football field at the high school stadium to artificial turf. The request for bids will go out in January or February.

There are many reasons to make the transition to artificial turf, including increased use by students and community, decreased cost of maintaining the grass field and providing practice space, not affected by heavy rains, for football, band, and other sports.

The turf will also be marked for soccer because heavy spring rains can cause disruption of use on the designated soccer field.

One issue with the current grass field is that it has a crown that is nearly three feet higher in the middle that allows for drainage. In addition, there is limited use of the field due to its condition and football teams resort to practicing on another field.

Additional work at the stadium will include replacing the poles and current lighting to safer poles and more efficient lighting sources as well as resurfacing the 10-year-old track surface.

The estimated cost of the project is $1.5 million and will be paid for using the PA 177 Fund and the Public Improvement Fund established with funding from the Gun Lake Casino revenue.