By ANN PIERCEALL
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
HANNIBAL, Mo. — An agreement with a beverage provider could generate $200,000 for the Hannibal School District to help buy and install artificial turf at Porter Stadium.
The 10-year exclusive beverage provider agreement with Springfield Coca-Cola calls for minimum rebates of $20,000 a year, based on buying at least 6,000 cases of Coca-Cola products. The rebate is in addition to the financial agreement between the district and Coca-Cola.
"If we exceed it, there will be additional rebates," said Dana Ruhl, Hannibal School District business manager. He said it was "worth it" for Coca-Cola to offer the rebates to "have that exclusivity on our campuses."
The district has never had such a contract before.
"Truly it was the groundswell of support in the community for looking at putting in a turf field that pulled this back up to consideration," Ruhl said.
Contracts for cafeteria beverages such as milk and water will continue to be bid out.
Ruhl said knowing that money from the beverage agreement will be there for the next 10 years opens the door for the district to contribute almost half the $420,000 cost to buy and install artificial turf at Porter Stadium. Plans call for installation to begin right after graduation.
A committee made up of local athletic boosters has been working to bring such a field to Porter Stadium since last summer. So far the group has raised $125,000 for the project, including pledges of $25,000 each from the Hannibal Clinic and Hannibal Imaging, and $10,000 from Midwest Orthopedics.
Hannibal businessman Randy Park said that when discussions started about upgrading the district's football practice field, a cost comparison showed "more advantages" to in an all-weather artificial turf field at Porter Stadium.
Park said putting in artificial turf means the field can be used more often. In addition to football, soccer and band will both be able to make more use of the field, as will other school and community groups.
Park said efforts to raise the remaining $100,000 for the project will continue.
— apierceall@whig.com/
(573) 221-5879
