Turf’s up at Piqua

By Marc F. Pendleton, Staff Writer at The Dayton Daily News

There was only one thing missing when Piqua built its grand Alexander Stadium — an artificial surface.

That will be resolved this coming football season, thanks to a generous fundraising effort. School officials will hold a ground-breaking ceremony at the stadium on Friday, June 18. The real work to replace its grass with the new surface begins Monday.

Piqua becomes the eighth member of the 16-team Greater Western Ohio Conference to have a nongrass stadium. The Indians will only play football at the field.

“I think it caps off a big project that was started when we built the stadium,” said former Piqua Athletic Director Ed Purk, who along with current AD David Palmer did plenty of heavy lifting to get the fundraising started. “The people of our community are pretty darn generous. Times are tough and we asked them to help us and they did, very graciously. That was key. We didn’t want any tax money used for this.”

The turf that the Indians will play on is similar to many area stadiums such as Beavercreek, Northmont, Wayne and Welcome Stadium. What’s different is the funding.

Privately funded
All those stadiums — and many more — received generous donations from either Kettering Health Network or Premier Health Partners — the area’s two largest hospital corporations — to install artificial turf and at some schools state-of-the-art locker rooms. In return the schools inherited cumbersome stadium monikers. The full title of Beavercreek’s stadium is Miami Valley Hospital Stadium-Frank Zink Field.

The name of Piqua’s Alexander Stadium won’t change because all of its projected $600,000 price for new turf will have been privately funded. That’s not the first time the Miami County city has responded with deep pockets to its athletics program. A total of $3.1 million was solicited for the stadium, which was completed in 2001.

The Piqua Community Foundation and Piqua Indian Athletic Boosters hit up alumni, Piqua businesses and townsfolk for generous donations, much of which were pledges spread over four years. The total pledge goal needed has not been reached, but enough donors have anted up to make the project a done deal by this coming football season.

“Things just kind of started falling into place,” said Palmer. “We felt like this was going to be a reality for a summer project.”

The Cincinnati-based Motz Group has been contracted to install the surface, which is projected to be completed for Piqua’s home opener on Friday, Sept. 3, against visiting Fairfield.

“We’re still short (of pledges), but we’re going to step out on faith,” Palmer said.

“We think that we’re going to be able to do that, but we still need people to send pledges in and help with the project. We got to our point of no return and we had to make a commitment (for this season).”

Playoff perfect
Besides a top-shelf playing surface for all its football teams — from seventh grade to varsity — Piqua also hopes to upgrade its chances of hosting more football playoff games. Alexander Stadium holds 9,000 and has averaged about two playoff games a year since 2001. But only Division III-VI teams have played there.

That might change now. Piqua officials said they welcome more big-school playoff games that the Ohio High School Athletic Association might award. The artificial surface, central location and easy access to Interstate 75 are all key factors.

“We feel like we can compete with almost any stadium in the area — now that we have the artificial surface — to host playoff games,” Palmer said.

“We have excellent parking and easy access to the interstate. That’s key for us. A quarter mile off the interstate and you’re in our parking lot. We should be able to host anybody.”

George Wertz Stadium — where Piqua football used to be played — will remain the soccer stadium.

How to pledge
Contact the Piqua High School athletic department at (937) 773-9577.

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