Artificial Turf Is on its way to Vermilion Parish! School district borrows $5.5 million to upgrade athletic facilities, adding turf at Kaplan, NVHS

Fingers crossed, by the beginning of the 2025 football season, Vermilion Parish will finally have its very first artificial turf football field, and soon after the parish will boast two turf fields.
The turf fields are all a big part of the school board’s athletic renovation projects spread across all five high parish schools over the next six months.
The total cost of the projects will be approximately $5.5 million, paid for with interest from the Dan Dartez Trust Fund. The fund was created using excess oil and gas money the school board collected over the years.
“A few years ago, Mrs. Lebeouf made a motion to move forward with athletic facility improvements when the current Dan Dartez projects were completed,” said Superintendent Tommy Byler. “We are now at the point where we are able to move forward with that request.”
The fund was established approximately 30 years ago when oil and gas revenue was really booming and now holds around $15 million. It was a public trust established by Dr. Dan Dartez. Since its establishment, the school board has invested millions of dollars from the accumulated interest of the Dan Dartez Fund in capital upgrades for the school system, including the construction of multi-purpose buildings at elementary schools and funding for the cafeteria at Meaux Elementary.
Three years ago, then-school board member LeBeouf pushed to build bathrooms at the Kaplan baseball field, using interest money from the Dan Dartez Fund.
That small project then led to bigger ideas.
Byler said that instead of building or improving facilities in the $1 to $3 million range and using the interest from the Dan Dartez Fund to repay the loan, how about borrowing around $5-6 million at one time and using the money to build larger capital improvement projects at different high schools?
Earlier this year, the school board voted to borrow the money to fund various athletic projects. The school system will repay the loan, using interest generated from the Dan Dartez Fund.
Here is a list of the projects that have already been completed, are currently in progress, or will be completed by the end of the school year.
• Kaplan High baseball field getting new restrooms. Completed.
• Gueydan High got a field house built near the softball and baseball fields. One side of the field house is for the softball team, and the other side is for the baseball field. Completed.
• Kaplan High is installing artificial turf this summer at Ed Douglas Memorial Stadium, located behind the high school. Over the past month, contractors have been busy removing the grass and dirt, and relocating some of it to the front of the school near Hwy. 14. Depending on the weather, the turf is expected to be laid down in August. By the end of August, just in time for the parish jamboree, Kaplan High will boast the first turf football field in the parish. The entire project costs approximately $1.2 million and is scheduled for completion by Sept. 1.
Byler said Kaplan High was selected to get a turf field due to the size of the stadium and parking lot. The stadium is large enough to host band festivals, youth league football games, and soccer games.
Also, the high school’s basketball gym now has new bleachers.
• North Vermilion High School is also having a turf field installed on its football field, along with having a new concession stand and bathrooms constructed. Construction of the turf field began at the end of June and may or may not be completed by the start of the football season.
North Vermilion does not play a home game until Week 3, and that game is against Kaplan. If the NV field is not ready, look for the game to be moved to Kaplan.

Furthermore, the new concession stand and restrooms are not expected to be completed by Sept. 1. Byler mentioned that the stadium will have temporary structures for a concession stand and bathrooms when NV hosts football games.

He expects everything to be completed before the end of the 2025 football season.

• Erath High School is set to receive a brand new concession stand and restrooms, plus a fresh set of bleachers on the visitors’ side. These new bleachers will provide an additional 250 seats.
The visitors’ bleachers are expected to be completed by the start of the football season, but the concession stand may not be 100 percent completed. If that is the case, Byler is expected to bring in portable buildings for game-time.
Also, at the entrance of the football stadium, the old track storage building will be converted into a ticket booth.
Do not expect the EHS football stadium to ever install artificial turf due to flooding issues.
• Abbeville High School received a new bathroom facility inside the front of the gymnasium. The bathrooms are located to the left as you enter the gym, adjacent to the concession stand. That project is completed. In addition, the basketball court will be sanded down and repainted.
In the future, Abbeville High School’s football stadium at JH Williams will undergo a facelift. Byler said that after football season, the school board plans to build a new asphalt parking lot, along with LED lights. The asphalt parking lot will be built where the grass parking lot is today.
Additionally, the entrance to Wildcat Stadium will be relocated to the east side of the stadium, adjacent to the old gymnasium.
Byler said at this time turf at AHS is not part of this original project.
“Our student athletes and our parish deserve facilities that we can be proud of. This was an opportunity for us to get creative in funding these projects. These facilities are used not only by our athletes but by our marching bands, youth football organizations among others.”