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Boyle band, football boosters battling over stadium

February 18, 2005

Band boosters and football boosters at Boyle County High School are waging what is quite literally a turf battle over the proposed use of the Ballard Robinson Stadium for a regional band contest next fall.

School board members heard from both sides at Thursday's meeting before deciding to table the matter until a special meeting on Feb. 28 so more information can be gathered.

Band boosters want to host a regional band competition on Oct. 1 that would require the use of the football stadium and main campus. The event would raise a projected $10,000 for the band, which faces a $20,000 budget shortfall, said booster Julie Wagner..

"This is quite an honor to be asked to host this event," Wagner said.

Football boosters worry that holding the event, which could attract as many 25 bands, would damage the Bermuda grass and otherwise do harm to the already fragile condition of the football field. The timing of the event during football season could create dangerous playing conditions for the entire season, said football booster Theo Tamme.

"This is not a football versus band issue. This is a safety issue for students," Tamme said.

Band boosters have offered to carry a $1 million insurance policy for the event, but football boosters argue that if the field was damaged, repairs couldn't be completed until after the season.

A student in the audience said, "It's a school public field. We need to be able to accommodate everyone."

Board chairman Preston Miles responded, "I know everybody has the best interest of students in mind."

Band boosters insisted they would cancel the competition in the event of bad weather that might create conditions that could scar the field. Other school districts have hosted similar competitions without damaging their football fields, band boosters argued.

The board requested that other schools that have hosted band competitions be contacted to address the issue of field damage. That information will be provided at the Feb. 28 meeting, when the board expects to make a decision.

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