Heat Makes Bayless HS Soccer Field "Unsafe"

Bayless High School's soccer fields are "unsafe" and "unplayable" after this summer's extreme heat prevented crews from aerating, seeding and watering the field.

Without a safe, playable field, boy's soccer home games will be relocated to other fields in the area, said physical education teacher Pat Triplett.

"With the heat we've had this summer, we haven't been able to get out there and aerate (the field)," Triplett said. "If the field conditions are unsafe and a kid rolls his ankle, we are liable."

Athletic officials who supervise soccer games and other sporting events have expressed "ongoing concerns" about the state of the field, superintendent Ron Tucker wrote in a memo to the Bayless Board of Education. 

Boys' soccer games will be held either at the opponents field or at another field, such as Affton High School's soccer field. However, renting athletic fields can be costly—as much as $450.

The fields will be unusable for physical education and for soccer practice, which starts August 6.

If the field is not fixed, girls' soccer home games this spring may also need to be relocated.