Cookeville Field Turf Gets Green Light From School Board

The Putnam County School Board gave a group of Cookeville High School parents the go-ahead to finalize the financials of a new privately-funded turf field.

“We were very excited, it is definitely the outcome that we were asking for,” Parent Julie Baker said. “And it was definitely a positive outcome for us that they gave us the green light to move forward.”

The field turf surface will replace the grass field at Cookeville High School. The School Board also plans to resurface the track at the same time, a project that had already been planned. In addition, the parents want to expand the current weight room and create an indoor practice facility.

The hope had been to get the work done prior to the 2020 football season.

Parents have been working to raise the approximately $1 million needed for the project. The March 3rd tornado struck just as the official campaign was set to begin.

“I’m not sure if there are words to explain how difficult it has been, but, you know, for the most part, all of the local businesses have been great with with both of these huge challenges this semester,” Baker said. “We’ve we’ve been very sensitive to the needs of the businesses and just the local community.”

Beyond the obvious fundraising challenge, Baker said the inability to get students involved and the lack of spring sports has also impacted the work.

But she remain optimistic that the project can still happen before fall rolls around.

“We don’t we don’t want to cancel it at all and the school board doesn’t want us to do that,” Baker said. “And, you know, the best case scenario, we might have to hold off for a month or so until we have all that finance financial piece in place and the financing in place. And then, of course, if that doesn’t happen and it and it doesn’t happen, of course, we know that that could be a possibility for this season, then, you know, the project is still out there and we still have that approval.”