Dan Jones, athletics director for DeKalb School District 428, proposed the addition of a stadium to the already existing bid for the new DeKalb High School at Tuesday’s Board of Education Meeting.

The seats, lighting and press box for the stadium are expected to cost about $2 million, and would add an additional $650,000 to the already-existing bid.

A committee has met during the last few months in cooperation with the new high school.

Jones recommended using astro turf instead of real grass because of the cost-saving benefits.

“It opens up the PE area for the classes,” he said. PE classes can’t use the field if it’s made of real grass because the school would have to repair the field. Other schools that have similar stadium projects suggested astro turf, he said.

“When it rains, we can control that it dries very quickly,” Jones said.

Cost for the astro turf field for 10 years is a little over $1 million. Seats for the stadium will cost $250 each, Jones said.

“We’re actually in a better position because it’s brand new construction so it’s gonna be cheaper,” he said.

The referendum already put aside $350,000 for natural grass.

If the school rents the NIU stadium for the next ten years, which is the lifespan of the astro turf, it would cost $375,000 over ten years, Jones said. He also added that the astro turf would be cheaper to replace after about 12 to 15 years of use.

Board Member Fred Davis supported adding the stadium because it would be a multi-purpose field.

Secretary Holly Wallace said before she could add the stadium to the bid she would have to look at what the district would have to cut since the stadium would add an additional $650,000 cost.

“I would have to see the alternatives. $650,000 is a lot of money,” she said. “I have to see what we’re going to lose.”

There’s also potential for the stadium to make revenue from concessions and renting the stadium out. If the Olympics come to Chicago in 2016, the proposed stadium could be used for practice.

At the end of the month the school will have the complete plans for the high school.

Superintendent James Briscoe said with the short amount of time available, adding the stadium to the original bid is a Board of Education decision, and raising money for the lights, seats and press box is realistic for the community.