Parents of Crystal Spring Elementary School students in South Roanoke have seen the cycle more than once.

First, students and neighborhood kids play on the grassy field behind the school. Within weeks the grass gets churned up, prompting city and school officials to fence it off while they reseed it. A few weeks later, the fences come down, and the children return and tear the field up again.

Some Crystal Spring fathers have seen enough. Over the summer, 11 of them launched a fundraising campaign to buy artificial turf for the field, something the city couldn't afford.

They checked with city and school officials and researched artificial turf. They found they could get a good deal by using the remnants of long rolls of turf known as mill ends.

The group, which has dubbed itself "Green for the Green," is hoping to raise $60,000 for the turf. So far they have about $40,000, all from individual donors, as well as in-kind donations from contractors and engineers.

The largest came from the school's PTA, which contributed $7,500, a portion of its proceeds this year. The second largest is from an anonymous donor who chipped in $2,500, said Bill Thomasson, the father of a kindergartener and a fourth-grader, who is spearheading the turf effort.

The plan also calls for a sign reading "Tiger Field at Crystal Spring School" with plaques bearing the names of donors who make large contributions.

"What we're trying to do is figure out a way for our kids to have a place to play that's safe and where they can kick a ball around on some grass," he said.

Today the field -- 141 feet by 100 feet -- is a balding expanse of dirt, grass and pebbles with soccer nets at both ends.

"It gets well-worn during school and after school because it's the only playground in the immediate area," said David Merritt, Crystal Spring's principal.

"Everybody in the neighborhood plays down there," said Laura Stockstill, president of the Crystal Spring PTA. "Whenever they plant seed, you have to stay off of it, and that's hard on the teachers, too. You can't take the kids out to play in that area."

Despite the city's best efforts, there was no way the field could support 339 Crystal Spring students as well as neighborhood children on real grass.

Most recently, the city fenced off the field between May and September to reseed it. Once the fences came down, it took about 10 days to tear the field up, Thomasson said. Up went the fences again, although they have since been taken down.

But artificial turf will make reseeding a thing of the past and will cut down on the amount of maintenance required, Thomasson said.

It will look and feel like real grass. Gone are the days when artificial turf looked like carpet and left rug burns on bare skin after a slide. Today's generation includes realistic-looking blades of grass on which are sprinkled rubber pellets made from shredded tires.

These technological advances have made artificial turf attractive to school districts with well-worn playing fields. Stadiums at Patrick Henry and William Fleming high schools are set to have the turf. Roanoke County is also considering installing it at Bogle Field, which Cave Spring and Hidden Valley high schools share, and Amherst County has put it on the field at Amherst County High School.

Thomasson, a football fan who has seen the evolution of artificial turf in NFL stadiums, calls it a "20-year solution."

The turf will also cut down on the amount of dust churned up from the field, which should make neighbors happy, Thomasson said.

"Kids are out here after school and there'd be swirl of dust."