Sparkman High Receiving Artificial Turf Football Field

HARVEST- A new look is coming to the football stadium at Sparkman High School.

With an expected completion date of July 27, the Madison County school will have a new artificial turf football field, eight-lane track and additional track and field events area all within the confines of its current stadium located on the grounds of the Class 7A school.

The largest school in North Alabama and fourth largest in Alabama with 1,796 students, Sparkman was designated $2.4-million for the athletics program project through the Madison County Schools capitol funds plan after the plans were scrapped to build a new high school in nearby Monrovia. In all, Sparkman received $22-million dollars for work on the school that will include new structures.

The school is expected to build a 700-seat auditorium, band room, seven new classrooms and a possible indoor crosswalk that would connect the high school campus with the school’s separate ninth grade academy facility across Ford Chapel Road, which runs along the north side of the school’s property.

“This is a big step for the school as we’re landlocked at our location so adding new facilities in a limited capacity and the artificial turf facility was the correct thing to do,” said Jason Watts, athletic director at Sparkman. “I go out every day to see the work that is being completed. It will all look completely different.”

Hellas Construction Company based in Austin, TX. is the main contractor for the project, which began with the prep work of moving dirt and leveling the area of the football field utilizing a GPS laser. Three layers of crushed rock will be laid as the basic surface. The turf will be made of rolls of turf, stitched together and feature prefabricated lines stitched in field markings for both football and soccer.

One difference than many of similar artificial turf fields is the fact the material that is part of the turf will be of green in color unlike others that have a black rubber substance.

“The new green color of the fill material reduces the on-field temperature by at least 30-degrees,” said Watts. “Our field will be similar to the ones already in place at both Decatur and Austin High Schools.”

The first home game for the Senators is scheduled for Aug. 30 versus the Hazel Green Trojans.