The Okaloosa County School District recommended adding four high-school stadiums and Baker School to an AstroTurf tag-on bid, citing opportunistic savings that let the district consolidate installations.

District facilities director Bill Smith told the board the work would "support equity" across campuses and noted uses beyond football, including marching band, ROTC and community events. He said modern synthetic systems reduce issues with drainage and uneven surfaces and can lower long-term maintenance, water and resodding costs.

The board and school principals discussed safety, site-specific engineering needs and long-term funding. Niceville principal Michael Morello described field damage and drainage problems at his campus, saying "paramount to that is student athlete safety," and recounted multiple canceled or halted games when holes and ruts made surfaces unsafe. Smith answered questions about infill migration and maintenance: "You're always gonna get a little bit of that," he said, and described equipment and annual upkeep that would be used to manage loose infill.

Board members pressed staff on cost differences between campuses. Smith explained that higher engineering estimates for some sites reflect the need to build retention ponds; Niceville's cost was lower because the district will route stormwater to an existing city retention pond across the street. The superintendent and finance staff said lower-than-expected construction bids and savings from certificates of participation (COP) created an opportunity to do all four fields in one round, rather than staging projects over several years.

Several board members asked how the district will avoid leaving future boards short of replacement funds. Facilities staff said the plan is to set aside dollars each year in a dedicated account for turf-field replacement so future maintenance or full resurfacing will be budgeted when the fields reach end of life.

Not all campuses in the county were included in the proposal. Board members from Fort Walton Beach reviewed the school's recent investments and asked colleagues to consider equity when future funding decisions are made.

The item is recorded in the agenda as "10.2 tag on bid purchase over $50,000 to AstroTurf Corporation" and was presented and recommended by the superintendent; the transcript does not record a final vote or approval at this meeting.

Details and next steps: staff said engineering, drainage design and site prep will vary by campus; the district will continue to develop a replacement fund for future resurfacing. Specific contract values and a final board action were not included in the public record excerpt provided.

Provenance: Presentation and discussion appear in the meeting transcript beginning with the facilities presentation and board Q&A (topic intro) through the board's funding and scheduling remarks (topic finish).