(Posted May 15, 2019)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
With gold-painted shovels, school leaders, fundraising coordinators and donors broke ground on the synthetic turf project at Jonathan Alder High School.
District residents Joel Maynard and Rayce Robinson partnered with the Jonathan Alder Athletic Boosters to raise over $500,000 for the project, which will replace the grass on the high school’s primary athletic field with synthetic turf. Installation is slated to be complete before the start of next school year.
In a meeting prior to the May 13 groundbreaking ceremony, the school board approved a stadium naming rights and trademark, tradename and logo licensing agreement with Bruce Daniels, who with a contribution of $150,000 was the largest donor to the project. Daniels is the president of Daniels Automotive, principal of Performance Family of Dealerships, and founder of Impact60, a non-profit that encourages individuals to give 60 minutes of their time to people in need in their community.
“When you meet Mr. Daniels, you will find his passion lies in mentoring and providing opportunities for our youth. We are already experiencing his impact in our schools and with our students. We look forward to this partnership in helping us care for and mentor our students for years to come,” said Superintendent Gary Chapman.
The field itself will remain named Volunteer Field. Daniels has the rights to rename the stadium. That name has not yet been chosen.
Chapman also announced that Memorial Hospital in Marysville is donating $25,000 to the turf project and $50,000 toward the purchase of a live video display board to replace the field’s existing score board. The board will stand 13 feet high and measure 24 feet wide and have the capability to display game-in-progress video and replays. The cost of the board is $151,000. The school district is covering the other $101,000 of that cost. Memorial Hospital has provided athletic training services to the district for the past six years. The board just approved a seven-year extension of that contract.
All donors to the field turf project will be recognized at a field dedication and community celebration in August and at the first home football game.
