This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Rebuild Burgess Field Project in 44th Place in Pepsi Race for $250,000

Geneva is competing for a $250,000 grant to Rebuild Burgess Field—without a tax increase. But competition is fierce, and Geneva is 44th place this morning.

I just texted my vote for "Rebuild Burgess Field" in the Pepsi Refresh and voted online for good measure.

As of this writing, Geneva's refresh project is 44th in the running for the $250,000 grant. It's floated between 42nd and 44th place for about a week now.

Tom Finnberg and the Friends of Burgess Field landed Geneva in the quest for the $250,000 grant. In the course of the first 14 days, the Burgess Field proposal moved up steadily, from a spot in the 100s to 42nd place. Voting continues through Dec. 31.

Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There are literally hundreds of very worthy causes across that country that also are in the running, and each person can vote up to 10 times, so you can vote for Burgess Field and any number of projects.

"It's been very gratifying and very beneficial," said Finnberg. "Win or lose—and I hope we win, don't get me wrong—this helps us get the word out and it's a great experience."

Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Geneva's Burgess Field reconstruction got a boost rom NBC5 broadcaster and Geneva alum . Alumni have called and e-mailed from across the country. A few more area businesses have stepped up and donated to the campaign.

The top two vote-getters will win the $250,000 grant. If Geneva makes that level, the money would help pay for renovation of the home field at Geneva High School.

You to go directly to Burgess Field part of the Pepsi site by clicking here.

You can also text from your cell phone. Simply type 73774 in the "To" field as if you're texting your best friend, then type 104795 as your message. In about 5 seconds, you'll get a response that says, "Thanks 4 your vote!"

To really help the campaign, click on the social networking icons on the Pepsi page and use Twitter and Facebook to spread the word. Again, Pepsi has made it easy. You'll see the Twitter and Facebook icons at the top right part of the Pepsi page.

The page on the Pepsi Refresh site has a wonderful video that describes some of the reasons for the campaign and offers testimonials from former Geneva athletes, soccer player Jackie Santacaterina and football player Drew Fagot.

You'll also see clearly stated goals and overview.

This project is being undertaken by the "Friends of Burgess Field" committee to increase safety on the playing field and to expand the availability of teaching space at the high school.

Research has shown that artificial turf is safer than or as safe as natural grass.  It is used by most NFL teams, major colleges and more than 1,000 high schools.

Installation of the turf at Geneva High School's Burgess Field would, in effect, upgrade a classroom, opening up Burgess Field for marching band practices, now overcrowded gym classes and multiple athletic team practices and contests.

The surface can be used repeatedly without deterioration. This will save the Geneva School District 304 around $80,000.00 to $100,000 per year from the expense to water, paint, fertilize and mow the field.

Finally, the facility will be open for community use, which will generate revenue from open concessions provided by the Geneva High School All Sport Boosters which uses it's money to fund other sports.

Refresheverything.com

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?