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Hamilton Park Board allows volunteers to bring football field into compliance
By Cindy Iutzi/Gate City Staff Writer
HAMILTON, Ill. - The Hamilton Park Board granted permission Thursday to a group of volunteers who asked to rebuild part of the Hamilton football field, a property owned by the park board and rented by the school district.
The vote was 2-1, with Park Board President Carol Brower and board member Mike Taylor in favor and Ed Lemon opposed. Members Garry Gibbs and Kim Taylor were absent.
As it lies, the football field is not sanctioned by the Illinois High School Association, a regulatory body that in part, assures fields are safe for students and fans. Without alteration of the field, no playoff games can be played there because of obstructions and improper field margins.
Due to non-compliance with state standards, Hamilton was not allowed to host the 2006 playoff football games, which were instead played at the football field in Warsaw, Ill. Warsaw's football field does comply with IHSA rules.
Hamilton, Warsaw and Nauvoo-Colusa co-op their football program as the Titans. Nauvoo-Colusa does not have a football field.
Kirk and Debbie Neally of Hamilton, who are spearheading the fund-raising end of the volunteer effort, and Hamilton School District Superintendent Dr. James Jackson presented their case to the three park board members.
The Neallys said that Dan Buckert, an area farmer, and Bob Miller, owner of W.L. Miller Construction, agreed to truck dirt from a private location in Hamilton to the football field for the cost of fuel.
“We haven't approached the school board or the park board for funds,” Kirk said. “I've approached the business community.”
The group has donation cans out in the community, is having an auction and is selling raffle tickets to raise funds with additional plans for fund-raising.
The Neallys said the estimate for bringing the field into compliance is about $39,000, but volunteer labor and machinery have brought the cost down to approximately $10,000. About $3,000 has been raised to date and an auction is coming up this Sunday at the junior high school building.
According to information supplied by Debbie Neally, Hamilton's football field compliance violations include:
n Fence on the east end of the field has a safety zone of 5.3 feet. The required safety zone is 15 feet.
n Bleachers on the north side have a 4.5-foot safety zone but the requirement is for 15 feet.
n Light and back-stop poles on the south side safety zone (south side toward east end) have a safety zone of 13 feet. The required safety zone is 15 feet.
The group plans to move the field 50 feet to the west and 20 feet to the south, which means filling a four-foot drop at the end zone area with fill dirt. The option, which was developed by Mel Whitaker of Hamilton, allows for compliance without having to move the bleachers or concession stand. The plan is believed to be the most cost-effective way to get into compliance.
As an added benefit, the Little League baseball field will be upgraded at the same time.
The project is estimated to take 3,340 cubic yards of clay and 643 cubic yards of top soil - all donated. Moving the dirt will take about 548 trips using 16-ton tandem dump trucks.
The city has granted permission for the trucks to use Walnut Street and Broadway.
Also, seeding materials and new goal posts will be necessary.
Kirk Neally said that in addition to using W.L. Miller trucks, Hoppe Construction and the Monroe family have offered to donate trucks to the project.
A volunteer bulldozer operator will move dirt at the site and Rick Sargent has donated the seeding of the field, he said.
“How many varsity ball games will be played there?” Lemon asked.
Jackson said two varsity plus playoff games, if any, would be played on the Hamilton field this fall.
“Warsaw will get some of the gate, band playing and concessions, like Hamilton did last year,” he said.
Jackson said the school board will discuss purchasing the goal posts, which will be the type that can be removed from the field. He will look for used goal posts.
Also, the district will furnish porta potties at games if the restrooms are not usable.
The Neallys and Jackson agreed that any money left from getting the field into compliance would be given to the park board for use at the football field.
A fence at the field needs to be replaced and the restrooms and concession stand must be refurbished.
Jackson said he believes people are confusing the football field problem with consolidation issues.
He said the repositioning of the football field and any discussion of consolidation are two separate situations, with use of the field necessary for the short term (five years) and talks of consolidation at least five years in the future.
He said his support of the football field project is due to “a groundswell of support” from the public.
“We want to play football in Hamilton,” Jackson said.
Lemon said he has been hearing from people on the other side of the discussion.
“It seems like a tremendous expense for relatively few games,” he said.
Lemon added that “five miles south of here, there's a perfectly good field.”
“When you lose something like this, it's a sign of deterioration,” Debbie Neally said. “Once football's out of here, it's likely it won't be back.”
The vote was 2-1, with Park Board President Carol Brower and board member Mike Taylor in favor and Ed Lemon opposed. Members Garry Gibbs and Kim Taylor were absent.
As it lies, the football field is not sanctioned by the Illinois High School Association, a regulatory body that in part, assures fields are safe for students and fans. Without alteration of the field, no playoff games can be played there because of obstructions and improper field margins.
Due to non-compliance with state standards, Hamilton was not allowed to host the 2006 playoff football games, which were instead played at the football field in Warsaw, Ill. Warsaw's football field does comply with IHSA rules.
Hamilton, Warsaw and Nauvoo-Colusa co-op their football program as the Titans. Nauvoo-Colusa does not have a football field.
Kirk and Debbie Neally of Hamilton, who are spearheading the fund-raising end of the volunteer effort, and Hamilton School District Superintendent Dr. James Jackson presented their case to the three park board members.
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“We haven't approached the school board or the park board for funds,” Kirk said. “I've approached the business community.”
The group has donation cans out in the community, is having an auction and is selling raffle tickets to raise funds with additional plans for fund-raising.
The Neallys said the estimate for bringing the field into compliance is about $39,000, but volunteer labor and machinery have brought the cost down to approximately $10,000. About $3,000 has been raised to date and an auction is coming up this Sunday at the junior high school building.
According to information supplied by Debbie Neally, Hamilton's football field compliance violations include:
n Fence on the east end of the field has a safety zone of 5.3 feet. The required safety zone is 15 feet.
n Bleachers on the north side have a 4.5-foot safety zone but the requirement is for 15 feet.
n Light and back-stop poles on the south side safety zone (south side toward east end) have a safety zone of 13 feet. The required safety zone is 15 feet.
The group plans to move the field 50 feet to the west and 20 feet to the south, which means filling a four-foot drop at the end zone area with fill dirt. The option, which was developed by Mel Whitaker of Hamilton, allows for compliance without having to move the bleachers or concession stand. The plan is believed to be the most cost-effective way to get into compliance.
As an added benefit, the Little League baseball field will be upgraded at the same time.
The project is estimated to take 3,340 cubic yards of clay and 643 cubic yards of top soil - all donated. Moving the dirt will take about 548 trips using 16-ton tandem dump trucks.
The city has granted permission for the trucks to use Walnut Street and Broadway.
Also, seeding materials and new goal posts will be necessary.
Kirk Neally said that in addition to using W.L. Miller trucks, Hoppe Construction and the Monroe family have offered to donate trucks to the project.
A volunteer bulldozer operator will move dirt at the site and Rick Sargent has donated the seeding of the field, he said.
“How many varsity ball games will be played there?” Lemon asked.
Jackson said two varsity plus playoff games, if any, would be played on the Hamilton field this fall.
“Warsaw will get some of the gate, band playing and concessions, like Hamilton did last year,” he said.
Jackson said the school board will discuss purchasing the goal posts, which will be the type that can be removed from the field. He will look for used goal posts.
Also, the district will furnish porta potties at games if the restrooms are not usable.
The Neallys and Jackson agreed that any money left from getting the field into compliance would be given to the park board for use at the football field.
A fence at the field needs to be replaced and the restrooms and concession stand must be refurbished.
Jackson said he believes people are confusing the football field problem with consolidation issues.
He said the repositioning of the football field and any discussion of consolidation are two separate situations, with use of the field necessary for the short term (five years) and talks of consolidation at least five years in the future.
He said his support of the football field project is due to “a groundswell of support” from the public.
“We want to play football in Hamilton,” Jackson said.
Lemon said he has been hearing from people on the other side of the discussion.
“It seems like a tremendous expense for relatively few games,” he said.
Lemon added that “five miles south of here, there's a perfectly good field.”
“When you lose something like this, it's a sign of deterioration,” Debbie Neally said. “Once football's out of here, it's likely it won't be back.”
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