WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. October 12, 2006 UPDATED WITH PIX 4:35 P.M. E.D.T. UPDATED WITH MORE PIX AND ANALYSIS 6:40 P.M. E.D.T.: James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia just completed installation of a FieldTurf artificial turf football field at their football stadium this summer. Ty Phillips, Director of Facilities for JMU told WPCNR the entire installation was completed in three months and cost under $1 Million. He noted that the bulk of that cost though was not installation, but for demolition of the concrete base the rug turf which the new Field Turf replaced, and for grading a crown for the Field Turf surface for television purposes. He says that if you did not have to do much excavating the cost would be way below that.
Bridgewater Stadium on campus of James Madison University. The gridiron was converted in the summer of 2006 to FieldTurf in just 3 months. FieldTurf is similar to the synthetic turf proposed for Loucks and Parker Stadiums at White Plains High School and Highlands Middle School. It's a field that's soft to fall on. Gives a true "cut" every time and the James Madison Facilities Director says the players love playing on it. Photo Capture from James Madison University website.
Phillips said the switch to Field Turf move was made by the university for safety reasons, he said it’s much easier on the joints of the athletes. He reports that using rug turf, which consists of a carpet on a layer of concrete, “it’s basically hard as a rock,” you can expect to lose an athlete a year one knee injury a year because of the way the rug turf grabs your ankles. Phillips said field turf according to a study he’s seen is a “cheaper” and safer a playing surface than natural grass. He said he expects the new FieldTurf to last 12 years and possibly 15 years.
A FieldTurf installation in Libertyville Illinois, showing how soccer and lacrosse markings (in orange) are integrated into the "blade" turf. Photo Capture from Libertyville High School site.
Phillips said lining of the fields most likely would have to be done at time of construction, and that he was investigating the use of using removable paint on lines of other field configurations for the other two FieldTurf surfaces on the James Madison University campus. White Plains is touting their fields which are comparable to FieldTurf as being used for field hockey, soccer and lacrosse in succession.
Phillips said he does not recommend a FieldTurf like surface for Field Hockey because the long blades of FieldTurf slow down the ball too much, and the rubber surface is too soft. Our Field Hockey Coaches don’t like it for Field Hockey he said. He did note that shorter blade lengths of FieldTurf fibre could be ordered depending on the nature of the sport. He said his baseball field has a FieldTurf infield surface which the players really like. The White Plains Athletic Department should pay close attention to what kind of blade length is installed at Loucks and Parker as well as field marking if the district is serious about multi-sport use at Loucks and Parker.
LOUCKS FIELD at Twilight Sunday afternoon. Note the bare turf on the "crown" of the football field. Photo by WPCNR News.
Loucks Field Renovation: two sets of metal bleachers seating 3,250 (not 2,500) with press box, lights,. locker rooms, artificial turf system and 10-lane track on the straightaway. Cost: $ 6 Million (Approximate)Photo, WPCNR News.
Loucks Field Bleachers (wooden) Sunday afternoon. They would be replaced by metal stands, handicapped accessible, with new locker rooms behind them. Photo, WPCNR News.
I asked about maintenance of FieldTurf: “Between natural grass and field turf it’s unbelievable. On FieldTurf, we run a groomer over the surface once a month, and magically that just helps to level the rubber pebbles (under the surface) because they tend to congregate to different areas and you might get a low spot. As needed you run a little rake machine over it, basically it’s like a lawn sweeper and it’s to pull up any debris, leaves or anything like that and that’s all you do. No trimming. No lines to paint. There’s really no maintenance.”
The architect,. Erik Kaeyer noted thes advantages to a new artificial turf field.
Photo, WPCNR News.
Parker Stadium Proposal: New set of metal bleachers, seating 1,300 with press box, plus installation of synthetic turf and running track. Cost: $3.4 Million. (Approx.) Photo, WPCNR News.
Twilight for Parker Stadium. Seen Sunday afternoon. Highlands Middle School is just behind the ancient concrete and stone bowl. Photo, WPCNR News.
The majestic ancient sweep of Parker Stadium Sunday afternoon. The concrete and stone structure is said to be unsafe, the bleachers in need of replacing, and deteriorated stairs and locker rooms. The old structure is said to be impossible to make disabled accessible. It would be replaced by a metal bleacher structure with a press box. Artificial turf would be installed on the grass field with a rubber surface walking track. Photo, WPCNR News
Phillips said he has not reduced his maintenance staff, but has been able to shift them to remaining grass fields and other tasks as a result of the reduced maintenance on the football and other FieldTurf fields. “If we had the money, we’re probably get some more (FieldTurf fields).”
Phillips said after his football team has played three games at their stadium, that the players love the new field because it is softer to fall on than a grass field. He said there have been football injuries but none related to the new FieldTurf. Phillips added that track runners love the field for light workouts because it is easier on their joints. He noted that compared to a grass field, the new FieldTurf installations save him thousands of dollars in materials costs every year as well as worker hours grooming the fields.
Football players WPCNR has spoken to, like turf to play on because they cut better, but one reason given stadium upgrades is to attract events to the community in the case of the high school field and provide more usage of Parker and Loucks by the community and city recreation programs.
No longer money-saving, Superintendent, Architect Say.
The City School District, up until Saturday morning made the case for the artificial stadiums based on the extended use and cost savings the artificial turf surface will provide. However on Saturday, Mr. Kaeyer said that the district will not save money on going to the synthetic turf field, and the Superindent of Schools agreed, Mr. Connors saying the benefit of the aritificial turf fields at Parker and Loucks would be increased usage.
Stadium Construction Major Part of "synthetic turf" Construction.
The major cost of the project, though appears to be in the stadium stand construction. The reasons given by the School District for the stadium reconstruction is the dilapidated condition of the Parker stands, the non-compliance with Disabled Americans access rules, and the “unsafe” condition. Of course, the reason the stands are dilapidated is the school district neglect of the concrete over the years.
At the Loucks Field the main rationale for upgrading to new stands, press box, lights, locker rooms is to host outside district events such as Loucks Games, state football and soccer championships, Empire State Games, and to accommodate bigger time events.
No estimate of future revenue from such a state-of-the-art facility has been projected.
The cost of the new stadiums with artificial turf at Parker and Loucks is $9.6 Million. In twelve years according to Mr. Phillips, of James Madison White Plains would have to replace the turf. Phillips estimate is four years longer than what White Plains has been told. Replacing the turf (installed at the cost of approximately $800,000 ($667,000 at Parker; $772,000 at Loucks) today according to the Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson estimate, would involve at least a $1 million replacement WPCNR reckons in either 8 years or 12, depending on how much White Plains used the field. Phillips, the James Madison Facilities Director estimated a 12 year life to his new field, but he uses that only for football and practices.
On the Highlands Parker Stadium Project, site work for providing a foundation for the bleachers costs $830,962; Safety Measures/Walks and General, cost $661,000; The turf, $667,000; and the balance of the estimate is filled out with Player's benches, grading and excavation, drainage basins paiting, for $400,000. The total cost of the Parker project is put at approximately $3.4 Million
On the Loucks Project, the turf alone is estimated at $772,000, with Bleachers adding $1.5 Million, new track, $600,000; Lights, $300,000; Site work, $846,000; plus Tennis court reconstruction for $543,918. The overall Loucks reconstruction is put at $6 Million.
The $9.4 Million on the stadiums is supposed to be spent within the next year with both fields ready for play by fall 2007.
If you take for granted that the cost of the two new synthetic turf fields over 12 years is approximately $800,000, ($783,000 if the cost of the stadiums stays at $9.4 Million) this means that the district choses to spend $800,000 a year on increasing field usage. No number has ever been estimated as to how many more games would be played or needed for that matter.
For the same $800,000 a year, about eight full-time teachers could be hired for a full 12 years.
The Grass Cost: $320,000 vs. $9.4 Million.
In contrast, Michael Lynch, Administrator of Buildings and Facilities for the district estimated the cost of maintaining Parker and Loucks Stadiums as grass fields to be $11,480 a year each. Double that and you get a cost of $22,960 a year. Multiply that by 12 years, and you get $275,520 to keep the Parker and Loucks Stadiums grass, but of course you lose the multiple usage the artificial turf gives you.
Mr. Lynch also said he would recrown the grass fields once in the next 12 years for a cost of $44,000 for both grass field crowns, bringing the total estimated expenditure for maintaining two grass fields at Parker and Loucks as $320,000. Add say 60% inflation over 12 years and the cost comes to approximately $512,000 over 12 years as opposed to a $9.4 Million expenditure to build new stadia with artificial turf at Loucks and Parker, to increase usage of fields.
You could install artificial turf at Loucks and Parker to increase your usage for the $772,000 cost to turf each field only, ($1,544,000) thus getting your usage and spending far less money. Whether the bleachers would be required by the state to be improved is in question.
