MERIDIAN, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – Meridian Public School District celebrated a significant milestone with the official reopening of Ray Stadium’s playing surface.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony, held Thursday morning marked the debut of a distinctive royal blue turf, reminiscent of Boise State University’s famed “Smurf Turf”.
The decision to opt for a blue turf arose from discussions about upgrading the aging playing surface.
Installed by ACT Global as part of MPSD’s comprehensive capital improvement plan, the new turf cost $369,836.
Dr. Amy Carter, Superintendent of MPSD, said the last update to the playing field was in 2012.
“Today is a wonderful day for Meridian Public School District, Meridian High School Athletics. We’re excited because we were able to reveal our new blue turf,” said Carter. “This is a multi-purpose field. I think you heard earlier that we will use this for soccer, for band competitions state-wide. So often, we are asked to host state activities, so we are so excited that now Meridian’s facility is now topping the state and can continue to be one of those that hosts some of the great opportunities for young people in our state”
“The Upgrade does include the scoreboard. We look to reveal what is happening with that pretty soon. We’re excited because the scoreboard provides an opportunity for our digital media students to actually operate the scoreboard,” said Carter.
The installation of the blue turf at Ray Stadium represents just one of the many ongoing initiatives aimed at enhancing facilities across the district. MPSD said it continues to prioritize improvements that benefit students and the community alike.
