Why is Ryle so.............................

[Ram]

The school didn't save $975k. They could have continued with the grass field.

 

But, you have to agree that they got a product worth one million dollars for the price of 25K. That is quite a savings for the school board. I can't imagine many school systems passing that up.

[RomanEmpire]

But, given the information, you have to think if someone gives you a turf field, you expect to same a substantial amount of money on maintenance. So, you would have to think by excepting that gift you will save money. They obviously had no way to know that the contractor would not live up to their obligation to provide maintenance for the turf. So, on the surface it would appear that that gift was going to save the tax payers money. What did they do wrong?

 

Now, they have a million dollar turf field, and it is going to cost them 25K to keep it, or God knows how much to have it ripped out, replaced by sod, and maintained over the years. Again, to be financially responsible, what should they do?

 

Ryle had a very nice grass field just like the other (3) public high schools in Boone County. Apparently, it was not good enough for their players, fans, and boosters. They were the ones that started the grassroots fundraising campaign to install turf. As I stated previously, I have zero issues with private funding used to install the turf field. I just feel that once you make that decision to start funding a public school sports venue with private funding, you are stepping out on an island, and should not be thrown a "life raft" from the tax payers of Boone County when things go wrong with that sports venue. I think they should continue their fundraising on an annual basis to cover these type of expenses. Perhaps, they were not thinking 5, 10, 20 years down the road. Turf fields do not last forever. IMO, the school board should have required a much larger donation to be put into an escrow account for future issues that may have arose with regards to problems with the turf.

 

I would venture to say that the other (3) schools in the county combined don't get anywhere near 25K for upkeep on their grass fields.

[woodyccrr]

Ryle's grass field was not a good field...in fact, in 2006 they were lucky to play on grass during that state run..mud rather. Ryle is a strong program and should deserve/expect community support, and if it cost some tax dollars, so-be-it. Every public school is entitled to field maintenance. And to answer the original thread post, Ryle is becoming hated but at the same time respected. In the past there were a good season here and there. But now they have developed and will continue to develop a program. That's what it is about in the long run...state championship. If members of the Ryle community don't see that as a goal, then why upgrade. Their facilities will continue to be top notch and I believe they will be the best team in NKY 6A and can compete at the state level for years to come. The Ryle program feels like they still have a lot to prove and its not long before they are recognized as a contender by all....thus being hated.

[RyleRAID34]

What needs to be done to the field is not maintenance. There are problems that the company should fix but are refusing to come down to do them. I know the other 3 Boone Co. schools are bitter that Ryle was able to raise the money for a new field. I know for a fact that Boone Co. HS met with the members of the Ryle fundraising committee but weren't committed enough to follow through.

[uk#1fan]

I have friends in Northern Kentucky and they all say people are just scared of Ryle. Now some of you will say that you fear no one, and I don't mean that you fear getting beat, I mean they are scared because they all feel that Ryle will be one, if not the, best Northern Kentucky teams soon. Hated? I don't know. But there is a lot of eyes on them.

 

I talked to Chad Lawrence and I know he can't wait to beat Ryle again!!!

[quickslick]

What needs to be done to the field is not maintenance. There are problems that the company should fix but are refusing to come down to do them. I know the other 3 Boone Co. schools are bitter that Ryle was able to raise the money for a new field. I know for a fact that Boone Co. HS met with the members of the Ryle fundraising committee but weren't committed enough to follow through.

 

There may be some who were bitter. But there are just as many people who aren't big fans of Ryle who thought getting the field was a pretty cool deal.

 

If Ryle paid for the field (which they did) the other schools shouldn't have a lot to say about it. The problem comes in when people (like one of the ones above) talk about how the taxpayers should support this venture. That is amazing to me. And that speaks to why there are people who are not big fans of Ryle in general. The attitude that we deserve more or better is pretty weak. If you look at the big time powers in this area--you don't see a lot of that kind of attitude.

 

There are people in this county that have kids that go to one of the other 3 schools who are probably wondering why other schools can not get the basics ... while the county bails Ryle out.

 

Look ... everyone who gets turf gets the conversation from the vendor as to what they should expect. And if the BOE and Ryle didn't care for the fact that contractors are skirting out of their responsibilities in this economic climate ... the people in this county shouldn't have to foot the bill.

[Clyde]

But, given the information, you have to think if someone gives you a turf field, you expect to same a substantial amount of money on maintenance. So, you would have to think by excepting that gift you will save money. They obviously had no way to know that the contractor would not live up to their obligation to provide maintenance for the turf. So, on the surface it would appear that that gift was going to save the tax payers money. What did they do wrong?

 

Now, they have a million dollar turf field, and it is going to cost them 25K to keep it, or God knows how much to have it ripped out, replaced by sod, and maintained over the years. Again, to be financially responsible, what should they do?

 

I'm not saying Ryle did anything wrong. No one would pass on such a gift.

 

However, they picked the contractor. They accepted the responsibility for the turf when they accepted the gift. Unfortunately for them, they chose a schmuck for a contractor. The county should not be on the hook now because of a bad business deal.

 

However, if they can show where their risk has saved the taxpayers money and its close or more than the cost to repair it then they might have an argument.

[Clyde]

Ryle's grass field was not a good field...in fact, in 2006 they were lucky to play on grass during that state run..mud rather. Ryle is a strong program and should deserve/expect community support, and if it cost some tax dollars, so-be-it. .

 

 

So if they were a .500 program you'd be against it?

 

They have a strong softball program. Shuold the taxpayers foot the bill for lights so they can truly showcase their team?

[Birdsfan]

But, you have to agree that they got a product worth one million dollars for the price of 25K. That is quite a savings for the school board. I can't imagine many school systems passing that up.

That's the right way to look at this. The $25,000 is simply deducted from the value of the one million dollar field that they received. So, in an accounting sense, they've really lost no assets they had before the field came.

[Clyde]

That's the right way to look at this. The $25,000 is simply deducted from the value of the one million dollar field that they received. So, in an accounting sense, they've really lost no assets they had before the field came.

 

Wrong way to look at it especially since we're talking about tax dollars being spent.

 

The county was on the hook for maintenance of the grass field. How much per year? That's the number that you have to look at. By your theory if the field had been worth $5M the taxpayers should be OK with $100k per year to fix it. It doesn't work that way.

 

Any business (and lets pretend the county runs like a business) has to look at cash flow - not the financial statement. A P&L can show a big profit but if you don't have cash you're out of business. So, the gift of $1M for the field would represent the "profit" on the P&L but the actual cost to fix the "gift" is the cash flow. How much cash would it have cost each year had the grass still been in place? If the total of that is more than $25K then Ryle has an argument. If , as most expect, that total cash expense is considerably less than $25k then Ryle needs to do some more fundraising and not put the burden on the taxpayers.

[woodyccrr]

So if they were a .500 program you'd be against it?

 

They have a strong softball program. Shuold the taxpayers foot the bill for lights so they can truly showcase their team?

 

Yes. It's a shame the Boone Co Schools, with their high level of excellence in many sports, didn't jump into the 21st century like our neighbors in Kenton. HS Sports are a very important aspect of HS and the community surrounding it. Lights, Turf, proper drainage at the BB field....all these things can benefit the entire community. Since the turf arrived at Ryle, there is just a different mentality. With a first class facility, you put together a first class program. You are correct in the fact the contractor should be held liable but the repairs are necessary.

 

Also, I would venture to say around 10K/year for field maint. Just my guess.

[cvb]

From these posts, it seems that Ram is right, there is a lot of hate. No money came from tax dollars. The money for repairs came from an account that was set aside for upkeep and repairs.

 

BOE must approve all expenditures, but that does not mean that they have to come up with the money for it. The money for this project did come from private donations. It all started with a meeting with about 25 people interested in getting a turf field, and new track.

[Hey-Ref]

Geez, from Ryle football to Ryle's field. Talk about hijacking a thread.

First, Ryle's field was one of the better grass fields around until Boone Co Schools saw fit to tell the greens keeping staff at Lassing Pointe they could no longer maintain the fields at Ryle, since they weren't doing so at Boone and Conner. Ryle's field went downhill after that. Boone was also not allowed to install artifical turf because Conner and Ryle did not have it. Narrow minded school board to be sure.

Now, having a nice field does not make your team better or worse, but it does add to perceptions. Having quality facilities may provide a better atmosphere that allows for more community support, and player pride. Those things do help when trying to build a program. Ryle's program is definitely good, and definitely needs to get better to contend for state titles and complete with the upper eschelon of KHSAA football programs. Keep up the good work Ryle coaches and players. You're on the right track.

[94 Camel]

There may be some who were bitter. But there are just as many people who aren't big fans of Ryle who thought getting the field was a pretty cool deal.

 

If Ryle paid for the field (which they did) the other schools shouldn't have a lot to say about it. The problem comes in when people (like one of the ones above) talk about how the taxpayers should support this venture. That is amazing to me. And that speaks to why there are people who are not big fans of Ryle in general. The attitude that we deserve more or better is pretty weak. If you look at the big time powers in this area--you don't see a lot of that kind of attitude.

 

There are people in this county that have kids that go to one of the other 3 schools who are probably wondering why other schools can not get the basics ... while the county bails Ryle out.

 

Look ... everyone who gets turf gets the conversation from the vendor as to what they should expect. And if the BOE and Ryle didn't care for the fact that contractors are skirting out of their responsibilities in this economic climate ... the people in this county shouldn't have to foot the bill.

 

The people in the county didn't have to foot the bill. 50 k was not paid to the original contractor and was set aside to conduct these repairs to the TRACK out of private funds. There are many on this forum that are misinformed.

[94 Camel]

I talked to Chad Lawrence and I know he can't wait to beat Ryle again!!!

 

Whith as few times as it has happened, how long does he think he will have to wait?