It's no exaggeration that the Jim Thorpe School District had its share of problems with its football field this season.

Excessive rain flooded the field. Water runoff was inadequate. And, as a result, the team was forced to play its last two games on the road as conditions on the field were unplayable.Knowing how much Jim Thorpe fans like their football team, and how well they attend home games, this was a serious setback for the program. Home games are a precious few each season, and to lose a couple to the elements is a tough pill to swallow.Enter Joe Jaskot. He may come up with a remedy that will avoid these problems in the future.Jaskot is an area irrigation sales manager with Finch Services, Inc., a company that does work in this field for such professional teams as the Philadelphia Phillies.Just as importantly, Jaskot has two children who attend school in the Jim Thorpe District, and he attends Jim Thorpe games regularly with his family. So he has a personal and a professional interest.The district has hired the Brickman Group of Allentown to do a topographical study of the field as a first step in making necessary repairs. But Jaskot feels that topography is only one part of the problem.He cites other reasons for the runoff problem - including regrading the surface, and exploring subsurface drainage. He has offered the district the opportunity for him to do a more in-depth study of the situation.His bosses at Finch gave him the go- ahead to study the situation, and Jaskot will donate a core soil sample analysis that would help the district understand the makeup of the soil under the field's turf. This will enable the district to create a plan to eliminate the problems.It's difficult to put a price tag on the type of study Jaskot is going to perform on the field. But suffice it to say it would probably run into thousands of dollars for an outside engineering study. And the local resident is willing to do it for free - saving taxpayers money, while more importantly, pinpointing the problems and coming up with a workable solution.Jascot's company will no doubt be bidding on a contract to repair the fields, but the preliminary work, which is worth thousands of dollars, will be a giant first step in eliminating the problem.The district would be wise to listen to Jascot's expertise which will help them come up with a permanent solution to the problem.Bob Urbanrurban@tnonline.com