[GOREDDEVILS]

Article by Mark Maynard for the daily independent.
Jun 27, 2023 Updated 3 hrs ago
https://www.dailyindependent.com/news/ar...68c0f.html

[GOREDDEVILS]

https://twitter.com/mmaynardkt/status/16...0482719745

[16thregioner]

I'm glad Ashland has finally found a way to get turf via a private donor. It seems like this has been rumored for years.

Admittedly, I know nothing about how schools are financed, but could someone tell me how is it that Boyd County and Raceland have far nicer athletic facilities than any other schools in the region?

Logically, I would have thought that Russell or Ashland would have always had the nicest things since their tax base and alumni are likely richer than others in the region. They're also the historically best athletic programs in the region.

What are Boyd County and Raceland doing right and the others doing wrong?

[ArmChairHC]

Big thing there is the BOE. Writing grants, requesting things the right way, etc. Russell has had more than enough money to upgrade every facility they have but for whatever reason they have refused to do so. As for Ashland, I’m not quite sure either.

[GOREDDEVILS]

I'm glad Ashland has finally found a way to get turf via a private donor. It seems like this has been rumored for years.

Admittedly, I know nothing about how schools are financed, but could someone tell me how is it that Boyd County and Raceland have far nicer athletic facilities than any other schools in the region?

Logically, I would have thought that Russell or Ashland would have always had the nicest things since their tax base and alumni are likely richer than others in the region. They're also the historically best athletic programs in the region.

What are Boyd County and Raceland doing right and the others doing wrong?

IF Russell wanted turf they would have had it first you can bet that. Think Mr. Billy Ray Cyrus and other boosters.

[16thregioner]

That’s my thoughts exactly.

Combine Billy Ray with all of the other rich alumni and those whose children have gone to Russell through the years. Every moment that passes without the Billy Ray Red Devil Sports complex is another moment another kid enrolls at Raceland.

The same can be said for Ashland. Look at their baseball facility for instance. They produced a Cy Young winner and 3 time MLB All-Star in 2006. How can they not have the Brandon Webb Tomcat Baseball Complex by now?

Where has Boyd County and Raceland gotten all the money from? Perhaps their wealthy alumni are just more generous. Perhaps the people in charge at these schools are just more ambitious and full of energy to make things nice for the next generation. I don’t know.

Good for Clark’s Pump-n-Shop to step up and turf Putnam, though. They seem to be the wealthiest and most generous donor to all area schools. Their signs and commercials are everywhere. Patrons all across our community should frequent their establishments all the time in gratitude of their giving spirit.

[Big Five-0-]

That’s my thoughts exactly. 

Combine Billy Ray with all of the other rich alumni and those whose children have gone to Russell through the years.  Every moment that passes without the Billy Ray Red Devil Sports complex is another moment another kid enrolls at Raceland.

The same can be said for Ashland.  Look at their baseball facility for instance.  They produced a Cy Young winner and 3 time MLB All-Star in 2006.  How can they not have the Brandon Webb Tomcat Baseball Complex by now?

Where has Boyd County and Raceland gotten all the money from?  Perhaps their wealthy alumni are just more generous.  Perhaps the people in charge at these schools are just more ambitious and full of energy to make things nice for the next generation.  I don’t know. 

Good for Clark’s Pump-n-Shop to step up and turf Putnam, though.  They seem to be the wealthiest and most generous donor to all area schools.  Their signs and commercials are everywhere.  Patrons all across our community should frequent their establishments all the time in gratitude of their giving spirit.

Good to see this progression at Putnam stadium. The new turf should compliment the existing facilities nicely. As iconic as Putnam is already it would be hard pressed to find one as nice as this one anywhere.

[RAMDAD50]

I'm glad Ashland has finally found a way to get turf via a private donor.  It seems like this has been rumored for years.

Admittedly, I know nothing about how schools are financed, but could someone tell me how is it that Boyd County and Raceland have far nicer athletic facilities than any other schools in the region? 

Logically, I would have thought that Russell or Ashland would have always had the nicest things since their tax base and alumni are likely richer than others in the region.  They're also the historically best athletic programs in the region.

What are Boyd County and Raceland doing right and the others doing wrong?

Raceland will have a new field house built after this season. Before this season they will have new lights for the football field. If the materials can be guaranteed you will soon see the baseball and softball fields turfed….hopefully ready for next season. If the turf can’t be promised in time it will be season after next. Raceland and Boyd are right in a major highway. Good facilities attract kids. Both schools would be dumb for not putting resources into their facilities.

[ArmChairHC]

Raceland doesn’t use wealthy alumni. Raceland uses some boosters, but a lot of it is garnered through grants. There’s is tons of money out there for schools to grab, they just don’t know how, or refuse to go get it.

[RAMDAD50]

I always felt that Russell was holding onto money because they wanted their grand Taj Mahal new high school. But now their numbers have dropped and…there are a lot of people they to hang onto past greatness established at Russell years ago. It’s more of a ….we are Russell we should be the best…instead of going out and working for it like the use to. The statement I just made comes from a lot of my friends that are Russell people. There definitely needs to be some thinking done over there….that’s for sure

[GOREDDEVILS]

I always felt that Russell was holding onto money because they wanted their grand Taj Mahal new high school. But now their numbers have dropped and…there are a lot of people they to hang onto past greatness established at Russell years ago. It’s more of a ….we are Russell we should be the best…instead of going out and working for it like the use to. The statement I just made comes from a lot of my friends that are Russell people. There definitely needs to be some thinking done over there….that’s for sure

Yes I would have to agree with you. I want the best for Russell sports and football is not at it's best right now.

[T-CATS]

Mixed feelings for sure. I like the natural grass but it’s expensive to maintain ( water bill alone nearly 40,000 ) and 2 volunteers who aren’t getting any younger to care for it. Grounds crew who are volunteers to paint the field for all the games. I did it for a couple of years and it’s a lot of work.

[RTruth]

One do the stadiums I absolutely love. ETA on completion

[RAMDAD50]

Mixed feelings for sure. I like the natural grass but it’s expensive to maintain ( water bill alone nearly 40,000 ) and 2 volunteers who aren’t getting any younger to care for it. Grounds crew who are volunteers to paint the field for all the games. I did it for a couple of years and it’s a lot of work.

You’re right. Turf is turning out to be way cheaper. As far as mixed feelings….I think the turf will look great in the old stadium

[Orange Blaze]

I always felt that Russell was holding onto money because they wanted their grand Taj Mahal new high school. But now their numbers have dropped and…there are a lot of people they to hang onto past greatness established at Russell years ago. It’s more of a ….we are Russell we should be the best…instead of going out and working for it like the use to. The statement I just made comes from a lot of my friends that are Russell people. There definitely needs to be some thinking done over there….that’s for sure

Yes I  would have to agree  with you. I  want the best for Russell sports and  football is not at it's best right now.

Between 2002-2007 Russell was a fearsome program not just in the 16th region but in the whole state.  It’s sad to see how they’ve dropped off since that time.

As for the topic of this thread, it was just a matter of time that Ashland got turf as this proud program wouldn’t let itself be outdone by Boyd and Raceland in terms of facilities.

[T-CATS]

It was also 20 k a season for the paint. I know field turf is the new it thing to have but that Bermuda grass has seen a lot of great football. It’s  green all summer then turns brown as fall district and the playoffs approach. That Bermuda has been on that field since the 80’s and they sent sections of it to a grass farm back in 2014 to grow new but original grass when the new stadium was built.

[Orange Blaze]

It was also 20 k a season for the paint. I know field turf is the new it thing to have but that Bermuda grass has seen a lot of great football. It’s  green all summer then turns brown as fall district and the playoffs approach. That Bermuda has been on that field since the 80’s and they sent sections of it to a grass farm back in 2014 to grow new but original grass when the new stadium was built.

I’ve always liked the look of the grass at Putnam especially in the early parts of the season.  Turf has a lot of benefits for sure but nothing can replace the feeling of playing football on grass either.  

At any rate I think turf will look great at Putnam.  I know it’s in the beginning phases but do you think the checkerboard end zone design will be part of the plans?

[RAM-A-DEVIL]

It’s not Putnam anymore. It’s pump-n-shop field now

[T-CATS]

It was also 20 k a season for the paint. I know field turf is the new it thing to have but that Bermuda grass has seen a lot of great football. It’s  green all summer then turns brown as fall district and the playoffs approach. That Bermuda has been on that field since the 80’s and they sent sections of it to a grass farm back in 2014 to grow new but original grass when the new stadium was built.

I’ve always liked the look of the grass at Putnam especially in the early parts of the season.  Turf has a lot of benefits for sure but nothing can replace the feeling of playing football on grass either.  

At any rate I think turf will look great at Putnam.  I know it’s in the beginning phases but do you think the checkerboard end zone design will be part of the plans?

They surely will have the checkerboard end zones Putnam looks strange when the grounds crew didn’t have the time to paint them for home games. Im not sure how they will handle senior nights and the painted paw prints with jersey numbers inside those. Times are a changing good and bad.

[RAMDAD50]

It’s not Putnam anymore. It’s pump-n-shop field now

Hahaha nice dig haha

[i82much]

I'm glad Ashland has finally found a way to get turf via a private donor.  It seems like this has been rumored for years.

Admittedly, I know nothing about how schools are financed, but could someone tell me how is it that Boyd County and Raceland have far nicer athletic facilities than any other schools in the region? 

Logically, I would have thought that Russell or Ashland would have always had the nicest things since their tax base and alumni are likely richer than others in the region.  They're also the historically best athletic programs in the region.

What are Boyd County and Raceland doing right and the others doing wrong?

I'm not sure Russell and Ashland have taken a back seat to anyone. Russell has a beautiful primary school along with McDowell Intermediate, which the research says is the most effective "grade setup" for educating kids. They also have an historic high school and very nice football stadium. Ashland has held on to the traditional elementary school setup with a middle school servicing grades 6-8. When the 6th grade was moved to Verity there was an extensive remodel along with the addition of a new wing and one of the best middle school gyms you'll find anywhere. The Blazer campus is one of a kind and I hope they always hold onto it. In terms of sports facilities, the 1st phase of the Putnam Stadium refurb was well done. They kept just the right amount of new to mesh well with the historical look of stadium. The addition of turf has always been controversial at Ashland. Playing on the same dirt, grass, sod, etc. that generations before you have played on is cool and has been understandably hard to give up. They also have a separate track and soccer complex. Heck, my Rams won't even entertain the thought of soccer and have grouped students according to physical building programs rather than sound educational research (e.g. the old 7-12 high school grouping and now the new 4-8 middle school grouping).  I'm a Raceland, Russell, and Ashland guy so I won't comment on Boyd County since my knowledge there is limited. Don't get me wrong, I love the facilities at Raceland but being new doesn't necessarily mean better and it definitely doesn't mean the other schools are doing something wrong.  If I had one knock on Ashland and Russell it would be their basketball facilities, they both need attention....

[Orange Blaze]

I'm glad Ashland has finally found a way to get turf via a private donor.  It seems like this has been rumored for years.

Admittedly, I know nothing about how schools are financed, but could someone tell me how is it that Boyd County and Raceland have far nicer athletic facilities than any other schools in the region? 

Logically, I would have thought that Russell or Ashland would have always had the nicest things since their tax base and alumni are likely richer than others in the region.  They're also the historically best athletic programs in the region.

What are Boyd County and Raceland doing right and the others doing wrong?

I'm not sure Russell and Ashland have taken a back seat to anyone. Russell has a beautiful primary school along with McDowell Intermediate, which the research says is the most effective "grade setup" for educating kids. They also have an historic high school and very nice football stadium. Ashland has held on to the traditional elementary school setup with a middle school servicing grades 6-8. When the 6th grade was moved to Verity there was an extensive remodel along with the addition of a new wing and one of the best middle school gyms you'll find anywhere. The Blazer campus is one of a kind and I hope they always hold onto it. In terms of sports facilities, the 1st phase of the Putnam Stadium refurb was well done. They kept just the right amount of new to mesh well with the historical look of stadium. The addition of turf has always been controversial at Ashland. Playing on the same dirt, grass, sod, etc. that generations before you have played on is cool and has been understandably hard to give up. They also have a separate track and soccer complex. Heck, my Rams won't even entertain the thought of soccer and have grouped students according to physical building programs rather than sound educational research (e.g. the old 7-12 high school grouping and now the new 4-8 middle school grouping).  I'm a Raceland, Russell, and Ashland guy so I won't comment on Boyd County since my knowledge there is limited. Don't get me wrong, I love the facilities at Raceland but being new doesn't necessarily mean better and it definitely doesn't mean the other schools are doing something wrong.  If I had one knock on Ashland and Russell it would be their basketball facilities, they both need attention....

All good points regarding the facilities.  My biggest gripe about Raceland is the lack of facilities for the track and field program which has the only state title in any sport.  But that’s an argument for another thread lol.

[Corbin]

I'm glad to see a stadium as iconic as Putnam getting a facelift. I know there are mixed feelings about the whole grass/turf debate across the state but I like seeing the better stadiums start keeping up with the Joneses. Here in Corbin, we have an iconic stadium too and it's always had one of the nicer bermuda fields that I've seen. If the weather holds, it would be as green for the playoffs as it nearly was in August. It just had a nice feel too it. This year, we are going to turf as well. It takes away history but it will give a nice look to the stadium.

I like how Ashland has partnered as it's often hard to come up with money. I remember back in 2000 we got the fieldhouse built and most of that was from private doners. This year they are doing a 9.2 million dollar upgrade to Campbell Field (I've heard it has reached upwards of 14-15 million but you know how rumors are). I'm wanting to say they got a grant from the state or something but I'm not totally sure. I don't mind seeing schools partner with businesses for upgrades though. I just hate having to rename places. My college team plays at Commonwealth Stadium. We ain't no gallon of milk playing inside of a grocery store.

[RAM-A-DEVIL]

You can’t call it Putnam anymore. It’s pump-n-shop field now

[Reddevil07]

I'm glad Ashland has finally found a way to get turf via a private donor.  It seems like this has been rumored for years.

Admittedly, I know nothing about how schools are financed, but could someone tell me how is it that Boyd County and Raceland have far nicer athletic facilities than any other schools in the region? 

Logically, I would have thought that Russell or Ashland would have always had the nicest things since their tax base and alumni are likely richer than others in the region.  They're also the historically best athletic programs in the region.

What are Boyd County and Raceland doing right and the others doing wrong?


TJ doesn’t want it because then the football program would have to share the field with other sports 

---

I'm glad Ashland has finally found a way to get turf via a private donor.  It seems like this has been rumored for years.

Admittedly, I know nothing about how schools are financed, but could someone tell me how is it that Boyd County and Raceland have far nicer athletic facilities than any other schools in the region? 

Logically, I would have thought that Russell or Ashland would have always had the nicest things since their tax base and alumni are likely richer than others in the region.  They're also the historically best athletic programs in the region.

What are Boyd County and Raceland doing right and the others doing wrong?

TJ doesn’t want it because then the football program would have to share the field with other sports and his ego just can’t have that lol