Touchdown! Marbury High School new turf field is a green dream

Malia Riggs

Elmore Autauga News

The grassy artificial paradise at Marbury High School is officially finished!

MHS received a new turf field after much deliberation and careful consideration from the Autauga County Board of Education and Superintendent of Autauga County Schools, Lymen Woodfin.

The new turf was put in place while Stanley-Jensen Stadium is still under construction, and not projected to be finished in time for the coming football season, the ACBOE plans to continue the game-to-game contract with the City of Wetumpka for Prattville High School to play their “home” games at the city’s municipal stadium.

ACS has three stadiums within the school district, Autaugaville a 1A classification, Billingsley also a 1A classification, and Marbury a 5A classification, the stadiums are too small to hold the crowds for a Prattville High School 7A classification football program, and one of the largest enrolled high schools in the state.

“We’re excited for the community to be able to use this new field as much as possible,” Woodfin said.

However, with this new turf, the Prattville flag football, Prattville Junior High, ninth grade football and JV football teams all now have a place to play.

With the dirt that was taken from the field to make way for the new turf, that dirt will be used for other projects at Marbury High School. Specifically, for the erosion and drainage issue in center and left field on the baseball field as well as an erosion issue beside the football practice field, Woodfin confirmed.

“I know it was a huge project, you should have seen this mountain of dirt, but if I were to write a check to all the Prattville programs for what they were losing in gate fees, I mean, we’ve almost paid for that project with the dirt that was removed from the field for the erosion and offsetting the gate costs,” Woodfin said.

Woodfin stated that they have to have a place for kids to play, and it just so happens they can fix multiple issues with one stone, while also offsetting some of the costs for the district.

With this project, it also gives other schools within the district access to the field as well, Woodfin stated.

“We’re fixing a lot of needs with this project. Long term this gives the county a turf facility. If anything were to happen to any of the other campuses and we have to renovate or do anything else, we have the infrastructure in place where the kids don’t miss a thing now. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about, giving kids a place to play and participate,” Woodfin said.