Bettendorf launched a $1,950,000 project Tuesday night to add synthetic field turf for the football and soccer fields along with replacing stadium lights at TouVelle Stadium and installing new lights on the soccer field.
“If you look at our facilities and compare them to everybody else we’re competing against, we’re behind,” Bettendorf football coach Aaron Wiley said.
There are plenty of stadiums in the Quad-Cities that have field turf.
Brady Street Stadium, Pleasant Valley’s Spartan Stadium, Rock Island Stadium and Augustana College have turf along with schools in West Des Moines and Cedar Rapids — teams Bettendorf compete against in the postseason.
TouVelle Stadium has not undergone any significant upgrades since it opened in 1980.
“We’ve had this in our minds for quite a while,” outgoing Bettendorf athletic director Mark Brooks said. “Quite honestly as athletic director, I just didn’t have enough time to give this project the attention it needs.”
Brooks and former Bettendorf football coach Randy Scott are spearheading the project that will be fully funded from donations.
The plan is for the facility to be ready in the fall of 2013, or maybe sooner.
“I think it is very realistic,” Brooks said. “If we can get the money raised by August, we could be playing soccer on the new field and new lights by next spring.”
The facilities would also be used for marching band, cheerleaders, color guard and Goldusters.
Habenicht died last month at age 77 after succumbing to pulmonary fibrosis.
The Bulldogs won 229 games, 10 conference championships and five state titles during his time.
Brooks said there will be a formal ceremony at a home football game this fall to name it “Habenicht Field.”
“Merv was a mentor to me for 24 years, and he touched a lot of lives around here,” Scott said. “We’re making a call to those people that knew Merv — whether it was as a social studies teacher, behind the wheel in driver’s education, on the practice field or in the wrestling room — to show their appreciation for Merv with this project.”
Habenicht’s family has requested all memorials go toward the Field Turf Campaign. Thus far, there has been nearly $5,000 raised, Brooks said.
“Randy taught me to think big and think positive,” Brooks said. “My half-full glass is really almost third-quarters full thinking we can get this done.”
