PARKWAY FIELD: Readers of RTS are pretty familiar with the names
Bob Pflug and Rock Denning, legendary football coaches at Bradford
High.

Think how proud those coaches would be to learn that the school
board is now considering not just artificial turf for Parkway Field
but also a heated dome which experts say is essential to protect
the expensive surface from the elements.

While the school board said it wasn’t happy with the additional
cost, members noted it would open up the field – to be more
precise, the stadium – to many large events such as Olympic trials
or even rock concerts. Negotiations are already under way to bring
the Republican National Convention to the stadium in 2012.

Plus, RTS insiders tell us the board is considering contracts –
possibly with the Pittsburgh Steelers or with the Buffalo Bills –
for off-season training facilities.

If it’s the Steelers who win the contract, the state of
Pennsylvania would pay half the cost of the ,50 million stadium
through its Growing Greener program. “It won’t cost the taxpayers
hardly anything,” said one board member, “it would be paid for by
state and federal grants and loans.”

The school board hopes that by signing a contract with one of
the pro teams interested in the stadium it will help defray the
local portion of the other ,25 million for the all-weather,
all-temperature stadium. Any shortfall would have to be made up
with local real estate taxes.

At the same time, former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly is said to
be lobbying furiously with Bradford officials to opt for the
Buffalo team instead. Jim has more than a passing familiarity with
Bradford and its fan base, stopping frequently at Dari-Hut in
Custer City for a tubber.

Insiders have told RTS that the new stadium would be modeled
after the legendary Houston Astrodome which boasts cushioned
seating, Sky Boxes, and a state-of-the-art scoreboard. “And, what
the heck, if it rains a lot in Bradford, we’ll always have a nice,
comfortable place for people to stay,” one board member said.

OK, we must stop now before we give our readers a stroke. It’s
April Fool’s Day and we couldn’t resist a little jab at our school
board. In fact, no such roof is planned for Parkway Field – that we
know of!