Fire investigators on Wednesday put a dollar amount on the damages caused by a suspicious fire at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park Tuesday morning.
Capital City Fire and Rescue Fire Marshal Dan Jager told the Empire the arson caused about $20,000 in damages.
Twelve thousand of that was to a John Deere tractor and the aluminum trailer it was pulling, and $8,000 worth was to the materials inside the trailer.
The equipment and materials were being used by a synthetic turf company called Shaw Sportexe, which is re-doing the turf on the Adair-Kennedy field in time for the upcoming high school football season.
Contractors said the materials, which had melted into a big lump, ended up being a special adhesive glue and seam tape that would have been used to glue pieces of turf together, Jager said.
The arson has effectively halted the $1 million turf field replacement project as the company now has to replace those specialized materials and ship them up to Alaska, Jager said.
The fire was discovered in the dirt area next to the bleachers away from the turf-stripped field at 3:40 a.m Tuesday. It was quickly put out by fire fighters, CCFR Chief Richard Etheridge said earlier.
The police investigation is still ongoing.
• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (35)
Add commentI hope
the video can i.d. the little s#%ts who did this - too much time on their hands. we keep pumping $$ into these worthwhile projects and the s#%ts keep destroying them. why bother. let them play on dirt.
hmm
you really think kids are setting all these fires?
@gumrunner
Do you even know how many serious sports injuries that turf feild prevented? That's like saying the kids should play football on concrete!
That was a thoughtless comment and just plain mean spirited...
The football players, student body of JDHS and their famlies did not start the fire.
I'm not ruling out youth but I'm not assuming youth is responsible either
I'd bet $100 it was bored teenagers
But, that aside, it still blows me away that we are paying $1 million for fake grass so kids can play a dangerous sport like football.
Seriously, $1 million. That just floors me. Did NASA design this stuff for Mars or what?!? You could carpet the football field with 1/10 that amount.
If we'd hand our kids musical instruments instead of footballs, baseballs and hockey sticks, we'd have a lot less stupid kids.
Sports gets WAY too much attention in our schools. The arts get too little attention.
@Jo
I can't take that bet Jo because I don't know who's responsible...and just because I don't want to assume doesn't make you wrong about that.
However...not everyone is going to get smarter just because you cut out the team sports and hand them a musical instrument. Team sports have plenty of positive social components that teach students crucial skills like how to function as a team, how to deal with defeat and why they should keep trying.
Besides…is it fair to stereotype the Football Players and call them stupid? You don’t like that when it’s aimed at your fabulous self now do you?
I wish we only had one High School so everyone could share the same field…now that would save some money! But alas…the valley has to have their own facilities so we have two schools, two fields, two auditoriums and two pools.
I think there’s a place for both art and activity in our little town and personally if we were to cut back...I'd start with one of the High Schools and consolidate facilities. Our population has not grown as projected when that second High School was rammed down our throats.
rescinding.
I am rescinding my comments here as being inappropriate.
I like the idea of two high
I like the idea of two high schools for one reason. For years and years I watched as the JDHS basketball team held tryouts and the best twelve were selected. The kids who didn't make the cut were basically told to take a hike. Basketball wasn't the only activity to do this, but it was by far the most high-profile. With two high schools, twice as many local kids as before get a chance to take part.
There are many people who lament the two high schools since it spreads the talent pool which maybe makes a Juneau school a little weaker when facing the competition up north; quite possibly JDHS loses a few good players to Thunder Mountain. However, I really don't think that winning championships and "bringing honor" to Juneau is what it's all about. It should be about kids having a chance to take part--whether in sports, music, or drama.
Sally
Joe mac I knew a guy like you in school...we called him Sally.
Little joe mac blowing his horn out of tune again!
hmm
all things should be made available.ill bet joe mac was always picked last coming from a guy suggesting we use carpet.maybe we can fireproof that grass.thisarson has been going on for quite sometime kids dont stay with that kind of thing that long.its called an arsonist.man carrying a lamb.
JoMac
You need to take your advice and accept reality. Sports is a huge part of high-school and the community. If you are so concerned with your child learning a art. Sign them up for private lessons or specialized classes, a bunch of places offer these in Juneau. Please quit your useless attacks on other peoples opinion because you were last picked for sports your whole life.
Btw way the "people" behind this are upsetting go burn something usefull like the "plywood palace"
annnd......
You are kidding yourself if you think art is not cultivated by the Juneau community. You should get your living pass pulled and shipped out. But Mr. Jo Mac must reside in the valley so who are we to blame.
HMM
ILL TAKE THAT BET BTW.AND YES THEY SHOULD STOP BEFORE THEY HURT SOMEONE.MAYBE GO TO TRADE SCHOOL LEARN A SKILL.ITS NOT TO LATE I KNOW THATS NOT THE ONLY THING YOU COULD BE GOOD AT.OR JUST LIGHT YOURSELF ON FIRE K.I WANNA SEE SOME IMPROVEMENT IN THAT ATTITUDE OF YOURS.THINGS DONT HAVE TO BE SET ON FIRE FOR YOU TO ENJOY THEM.KNOCK THAT CRAP OFF.IF NEED BE GET YOURSELF SOME HELF LIKE GO ATTCK THE ELECTROTECH GUY.CAN A PERSON GET TO MUCH EDUCATION.OUR COUNTRY NEEDS OUR KIDS EDUCATED AS THEIR OUR FUTURE.
@Jo
"...we'd have a lot less stupid kids."
If you're going to make an argument that sports breed stupidity and that you're above it, don't delegitimize yourself with an elementary grammar mistake.
It's a sunny day, go throw a football buddy.
Agree MamaT:
I see, so Lady Gaga, Madonna, Kid Rock, Chris Brown and Bruno Mars just to name a few’ are these the role models you speak of Jo? All football players are stupid, that’s as foolish as I stating that all gays are stupid.
Just wanted to say that they
Just wanted to say that they play the other football (soccer) on the Adair turf also. JDHS girls soccer teams consistently have the highest GPA of all the state girls soccer teams.
We need both and more
Sports and arts are important. Involvement in school activites improves a students chance of staying off drugs and graduating. But it is more than sports, music and theater. It is culture clubs, debate, legos, anime, culinary and even prayer. Whatever gets kids interest and makes them feel connected to their school community and peers. A sense of belonging.
Honestly I am very disappointed that Juneau did not send a team to compete in the CHARR culinary competition this year Especially after taking State last year, and a stellar showing at Nationals. There is a skill that has a greater chance of helping one in the real world than sports or arts.
Funny thing is I used to be anti-sports. I was the last picked. But in watching my kids and their friends through the years, I have learned that the ones involved in sports/clubs had a much better chance of staying in school and staying clean. So while I may still not be a huge sports fan, I am a huge kid fan. You will find me in the bleachers cheering for both sides.
College football graduation stats are misleading
While some college athletes are there just to play until they get into the pros, quite a number take their education seriously. Not all graduate in the four years of eligibility they have (it's hard enough for a full-time student without a sports commitment to graduate in four years anymore) but many of those that don't are only a few credits shy of graduation. And you'll find that a lot of those come back and complete college, quietly, once their playing career is over.
So I challenge the "never graduate" stat -- please provide documentation for it.
School Sports
There are many positive things that happen because of High School sports. Having to maintain a "C" average to compete is one of them. I have known many kids over the years that would not have stayed in school or finished it if they hadn't been involved in an activity at the High School. It's just not sports but the activities. Drill Team, Cheerleading, Musicals, School Newspaper(J-Bird in my day), Yearbook, Band, Choir, etc. Activities give students self esteem and a chance to vent and excel. It is a great time in life. We shouldn't be limiting them.....
@Jo
So, I'd venture to guess that you were the geek that never played a sport! And I hope you don't have children or reproduce. You're an idiot! Do you realize how sports keep kids out of trouble and offer them self esteem as well as opportunities for further education?
my responses
@MadDad: I knew guys like you in high school as well. We called them "bullies." Uberjock types who try to emasculate non-uberjocks by referring to them in the feminine doesn't work on gay men because we are secure in who we are and we don't have gender issues like your types do. Nice try though.
@ bored and raf: Aside from playing tennis in high school, I was never picked last for any sport...because I avoided sports. I saw sports for what it mainly was; meaningless competition. Just how does winning a high school basketball team bring "honor" to a city?
@ Millspec: for every weirdo musician you can point out, I can point out a genius musician who has gone down in history as having provided something valuable to the world that will last forever. How many pro athletes can say the same from 100-300 years ago? None. Superstar musicians make more than superstar athletes. And pro athletes usually burn out in a decade or less. And Elton John is still around making billions.
Here's what professional sports teaches kids:
Baseball: Tobacco use is good. Tobacco use is part of baseball. Nevermind that it is a highly addictive drug, it's part of the nostalgia, so that makes tobacco okay. And if you don't agree with the umpire, argue with him, bump chests, it's manly. It's the way adults solve disputes. Oh, and performance enhancing drugs are okay as long as you don't get caught. It's not cheating if you don't get caught. Winning at all costs is the most important thing.
Hockey: It ain't a hockey game, and you ain't a man unless you engage in a bloody fist fight at least once.
@ TreyShawn: Nice try. I'll go throw a football if you go play a cello. Deal? Wow. Throwing a football. Man, that is manly. That's so fulfilling. That's so, um, deep. Is that how your define your manhood?
Football: Race to the bottom (a popular buzz phrase for the Rush Limbarf devotees). If you can go to college and get on a team, maybe you can get on a pro team. It doesn't matter if you can't string together intelligible sentences, you're manager will do that for you. Also, it's cool to illegally bet on football games.
Football is also the gayest sport out there. Lots of grown men, engaging in brut force attacks, then landing in huge flesh piles. The quarterback has his hands on the center's junk who is bent over in front of him and the center throws a ball between his legs to his bud. The climax isn't the victory, the climax is walking around in jock straps after the game and taking a shower with ALL your sweaty buds! Ancient Greeks and Romans did similar manly things. (snicker).
Golf: If you can master the skill of knocking a teeny ball around a large manicured course, you too can be part of an elitist club that does nothing but talk about golf in every social setting possible. It's comparable to a religion.
Boxing/cage fighting: Brutally knock the other guy unconscious before he knocks you unconscious. Blood is fine. The fans like blood. Brain damage is collateral damage.
Olympics: Throwing a javelin further than anyone else in the world makes you an amazing human being. My friends and I used to see who could pee the farthest when we were growing up as kids. Same thing.
My point: Sports isn't all bad. Sports gets kids exercising and this is a good thing to combat childhood obesity. Unfortunately, the ultra-competitive environment that professional athletes have evolved into, translates into seriously bad role models for kids.
And if we could channel some of that competitiveness into training kids in something other than sports, (like music, art, academics) I think society would be a lot better off. Kids worship pro athletes far too much.
And that's sad.
Good god, Jo. You always take
Good god, Jo. You always take it too far--none of your portrayals are accurate. Sports are valuable. Probably not as valuable as the arts, but then again, we ARE a nation of fatties.
Sports teach kids a lot of valuable skills. Obviously, some people become too competitive, become fixated on sports to the detriment of every other subject, or begin to think their athleticism makes them superior to "nerds" and other non-athletes. But the majority do not. Most of us who play sports in school grow up to be well-adjusted adults who at least know how to live a healthy, active life.
That said, some of the posters here strike me as exactly the kind of PARENTS we shouldn't be letting near school sports. Those ultra-competitive (usually) dads do more harm than good, and should perhaps find a healthy outlet for their angst over unfulfilled dreams, broken hopes, and impending deaths.
College football graduation rates
@ awilkins:
After a little research, I guess the numbers are what you make of them.
ESPN, with a vested interest in making athletes appear godlike reported 69% graduation rate (yeah. right.) but they don't specify if those degrees are Associates or Doctorates. I think we can safely assume they weren't Doctorates. This same article also references the "dumb jock" stereotype, and they are trying to dispel it.
But the Chronicle of Higher Education blog states: "In the Pacific-12 and Big Ten Conferences, regarded as among the most prestigious college-sports leagues, full-time male students graduated at a higher rate than football players by 26 and 21 percentage points, respectively."
I actually knew several football players in college. None of them graduated. And the irony is, they sure had a light course load of dumbed-down, athletic-based curricula.
@ akangel: Yup! I was a total geek in high school and college! Proud of it. And Apple is full of geeks just like me. Bill Gates was a geek too. Yup. And you're deluding yourself if you think all kids who play sports will be afforded "opportunities for further education" based on the sport they are playing. Those are the exception. College sports scholarships are rare, but every parent of a high school athlete really clings to that hope.
@PP
You proved my point.
First of all, all I said was, "If we'd hand our kids musical instruments instead of footballs...we'd have a lot less stupid kids."
Then I was jumped on. This was my intent.
First of all, studies have proven that studying music makes kids smarter. You rarely meet stupid musicians. Learning music takes a lot of brain power.
Then, as you noticed, there was a hailstorm of bullies and ultra-competitive types in here, upset that I desecrated their sacred cow. And their very words proved my point. They equated manliness and societal acceptance based on a person's athletic prowess. And they promoted ostracizing those that don't possess that prowess (or those who simply didn't want to engage in sports).
And these are the types of parents and kids who bully kids. That is their mindset.
But I sure got a good discussion going, didn't I?
PP, I have to agree with that
PP, I have to agree with that comment of yours a first I guess. Jo, you have some real issues to deal with. The arts/sports are not for everyone. I couldn’t carry a note in a bucket; I don’t play an instrument but love to listen to a good guitarist or singer/music. Classical believe it or not. But I was a very good ball player. It didn’t teach me to smoke, chew or drink. I didn’t pick on anyone I was usually there to watch over them. So get over it, having an option no matter what it is; is what’s nice about this country. BTW as a Network Engineer I guess that makes me a geek also.
Turf Causes Injuries
Unless they wear the proper shoes athletes are at higher risk of knee and ankle injuries in the turf that on natural grass. Studies by the NFL safety committee have shown that molded and studded cleates increase the coefficient of fricion on Field Turf fields. Thus many NFL teams are replacing the Field Turf with natural grass.
The Field House in Dimond Park has a written statement prohibiting the use of molded and studded. Turf and tennis shoes are what should be used.
Jo, I think you were jumped
Jo, I think you were jumped on because you essentially said that sports make people stupid or are for stupid people. It is true that learning music (or ceramics, or creative writing, or any other artistic pursuit) produces very real cognitive benefits for kids and adults alike. It's also true of exercise and employing the strategy that many sports involve.
You're trying to turn this into a geeks vs. athletes type thing. I hate that. It's exactly the sort of competitive BS you're railing against--there is ABSOLUTELY no reason you can't be both a geek/nerd and an athlete at the same time. I am, and I also find time to be an unmitigated d-bag on the internet, an avid outdoorsperson, and the savior of the human race.
If this is really bothering you, hit the gym for a year, embed yourself in the Ultra-Competitive [filtered word] League (UCAL), and then beat them not just at their own game, but with your intelligence and wit as well.
Way to stir the pot jo, jesus
Way to stir the pot jo, jesus some of your opinions are just way too far out there. You sure know a lot about parenting and childrens sports without ever being a parent.
Is there anything you dont spew your bias on ?
Jo
Further commenting in your un-educated "opinion" is going to get me banned from the message boards. But hey at least you didn't have anything to say about soccer.
Did I miss the announcement?
Is it hate on Jo Mac day?
Jo was just being a pud--like
Jo was just being a pud--like usual.