Protecting their turf

Millions in D203 facilities improvements rests with voters

The referendum measure facing voters today is wide in scope, addressing everything from science labs to cafeteria kitchens to parking lots in Naperville School District 203.

If approved, the $115 million facility improvement plan also would directly impact the athletic programs at Central and North high schools. It could narrow the widening facilities gap between those schools and their rivals, yet also remind players and coaches what they are missing - a new field house.

The proposal revolves around an $87.7 million expansion and renovation of Central and includes several provisions for athletics. Central would gain FieldTurf and an eight-lane track for Memorial Stadium, and separate rooms for the wrestling and gymnastics programs.

North would receive $5.2 million in improvements, including the installation of synthetic turf at Harshbarger-Welzel Field, and a renovation of its pool that would enable its swim teams to host additional meets.

FieldTurf, athletic directors stressed, would not be exclusively beneficial to football teams. Physical education classes, soccer programs, marching bands and youth sports leagues all would use fields that could better withstand rain, snow and repeated use.

"We don't have the availability, especially in Naperville, to purchase any more green space, just simply through the costs," North athletic director Doug Smith said. "(Turf) would be a great addition to the school athletically and curriculum-wise."

When North opened in the early 1970s, Smith said, its athletic facilities were considered premier. Since then, similar size schools have passed North.

"Still a good high school, don't get me wrong," Smith said. "But there are certain areas that need to be renovated to keep pace with the proper educational, (academic) and athletic offerings to meet the standards that the public wants us to give their kids."

Space will continue to remain a concern at cramped Central, where students sometimes use the main gym as a hallway. There's a sense in the Central athletic department that the referendum proposal does not fully address its needs, particularly when you look across the DuPage Valley Conference landscape and see field houses built at Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South.

Central athletic director Marty Bee declined to answer directly whether the referendum measure goes far enough, but he offered some insight into the process.

"I think when they came out with the idea of the possibility of a new school, everybody got excited," he said. "That was just maybe too soon and that just, you know, kind of piqued everybody's interest.

"Certainly, when our staff members look at what other schools have, they kind of sit back and go ... 'We're Naperville Central. We think we should have better facilities.'"

At the same time, Bee, in his 12th year at the school, understands the geography of landlocked Central.

"That's the biggest problem," he said. "There's X amount of space. ... We got to look for a way to use it."

It would be misleading to portray District 203's high schools as desperate underdogs working from a severe disadvantage. Since 2000, the Central and North athletic programs have combined to win eight team state titles. This fall season saw the Central girls volleyball squad earn its second state crown in three years, while the Huskies dominated during a 13-1 run to the Class 8A football championship.

And both athletic departments can lean on their traditions, alumni bases, and access to well-organized youth and club sports programs. Just look at the Central football program, which counted roughly 27 coaches last season, including 10 to 12 volunteer staffers.

As Central's head football and girls track coach, Mike Stine had hoped the referendum proposal would lead to a new field house. Instead, if it passes, his football team might be forced to play an entire season on the road while the turf is installed at Memorial Stadium. And without an indoor facility, his track athletes will still be forced to train in the school's hallways and wait until meets to work on field events such as the high jump or pole vault.

"I think everything that's happening with science, math, academics - they deserve everything they're getting and probably some of them deserve more," Stine said. "All the other things that are being built in the district need to be done - it would just be nice if somehow we could also have Naperville-standard athletic (facilities)."

Until then, Central can at least keep a detached sense of humor about its structure. There was a red Central T-shirt posted on the wall of Bee's office, and also spotted on a student last week, that read: "It's a dump ... but it's OUR dump."

Contact Patrick Mooney at pmooney@scn1.com or 630-416-5107.