No Lawn Left Behind was chosen by the Perry School Board Monday to repair and restore the heavily used practice lot north of Dewey Field. The local company is owned by Kevin Wicks, son of Perry Superintendent Clark Wicks.
Recent construction efforts at Dewey Field only worsened a problem many years in the making. The surface, used by the Perry football and soccer teams as well as the marching band and others, was unsafe for continued student use.
The practice field’s uneven surface, marked by ruts, long grooves and divots — and notorious for its excessive hardness — was the result of many years of continued use, and repairs were long overdue.
Two competitive bids were submitted for the project, with Iowa Cubs Sports Turf bidding $40,400 and No Lawn Left Behind $35,500. The lower bid was accepted. Resurfacing the field with an artificial surface would have cost an estimated $800,000.
According to the accepted contract, No Lawn Left Behind will spray and kill all vegetation on the field, then grade the entire area one week later. The rising slope on the west end of the area will be removed and the slight crown preserved. The entire surface will be prepared for improved drainage.
Tilling and drill-seeding will follow, with a mixture of 80 percent turf-type fescue, 10 percent blue grass and 10 percent perennial rye planted. The field will be fertilized and hydro-mulched, with No Lawn Left Behind returning three to four weeks later to address any small areas that might require additional seeding.
Last month the Perry-based No Lawn Left Behind put the final touches on the city’s new soccer complex in Pattee Park after the original contractor for the work delayed the process by more than one year.
