COLEBROOKDALE — It could cost more than $6.7 million to install artificial turf at the football stadium and a multiuse field utilized by the soccer, lacrosse and field hockey programs, the Boyertown School Board learned Tuesday night.
Representatives from KCBA Architects, which built the new football stadium, and Miller Sports Construction made their presentation before a packed house which included the winning field hockey team sitting on the floor.
Under the project outlined in their report, both the stadium and “field 1” on the high school campus would have artificial turf installed but a third, smaller field called “field 2” would not.
“It’s just not a good candidate,” said Jay Clough, a principal at KCBA Architects.
Field 1 on the other hand, “is the best location for a multiuse field for field hockey, soccer, lacrosse. You could use it 10 to 12 hours a day,” he said.
The subsurface of both fields, if the project moves forward and which Clough described as a “layer cake,” has two options: sand and a product made from recycled tires, which comprises about 95% of the turf fields in the U.S. The recycled tire product has raised some health concerns and is now starting to be banned in Europe, said Kevin Cunningham, director of outdoor sports at Miller Sports Construction.
The second option is to use sand and a calcium carbonate material known as “geo-cool,” because it cools the surface of the field by as much as 50 degrees, which addresses a problem turf fields can have during hot weather and which is “slightly more expensive,” Cunningham said. Both would make the field “comparable to grass” in terms of softness, to reduce player injuries.
Also beneath the fields, said Clough, would be “mini-retention ponds” to hold stormwater and release it slowly so as not to add to flooding problems.
The budget Cunningham assembled is a “worst case” scenario and would hopefully be less, he told the school board. He also outlined an annual maintenance program which, he said, should give the artificial fields 10 to 12 years of life before they would need to be replaced. He estimated the replacement cost at about $500,000, adding that they come with an eight-year warranty.
In addition to the presence of what appeared to be the majority of the field hockey team, the board also heard from the team’s coach, Alicia Terizzi, who said the team made its first appearance in the state tournament “for the first time in more than 20 years” in 2023.
Terizzi said her team faces “major disadvantages” because most of the other teams in the Pioneer Athletic Conference have turf fields. She said Spring-Ford, Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, Methacton, Upper Perkiomen, Upper Merion, Pottsgrove and Phoenixville all have turf fields, as do Oley, Twin Valley, Reading, Wilson, Daniel Boone, Conrad Weiser, Governor Mifflin, Schuylkill Valley and Exeter.
As a result, the team has to rent turf fields on which to practice, and none of their games are home games. They are looking at renting a turf field in Limerick at $190 per hour, but the only time it is available will require a bus, which she will drive, to get the kids there on time.
“Twenty years ago, turf was not commonplace, but now it is,” Terizzi said. “It is time to bring our facilities up to par with everyone else. How much do we value our students? Well, I guess we’ll see.”
Barto resident Joe Doolan agreed.
“Athletics are an extension of our classrooms,” Doolan said. “Sometimes, the right thing is not always the easy thing. The easy thing is to kick the can down the road, like the people who came before you.”
Although several of the board members expressed support for the project, they also expressed concerns about its costs.
“I know turf fields is a big subject right now, but it has to be a budgetary item,” said board member Roger Updegrove. “We can’t just pull $6.5 million out of the air.”
“I do appreciate you ladies, but we have all of our students to think about, it’s not just one,” board member Christine Neiman said. “I’m not saying we’re against it, I’m just saying we need to find the money.”
Similarly, board member Marianne Scott said “I’m not against turf at all. But I have to hear from the parents, I have to hear from the taxpayers, so get the word out. I need to hear from them that it’s OK to raise our taxes more than just the 3% we usually do. I’ve got to hear from mom and dad because they’re paying the bill.”
“I will do everything in my power to help get you that field,” said board member Wendy Kratz. “You’ve got to keep the pressure on. I support anything that gets our kids off screens.”
Board Vice President Jeffrey Zawada said “People know I’m pushing this, but we’ve got to find the money. We do not have $5 million sitting in our back pocket.”
Board President Anthony Panarello said he is “an advocate” for the turf fields, but said money will be an issue.
“I know there’s ESSED funds,” Panarello said about federal COVID aid, “and maybe we sell Pine Forge” elementary school, “but the rest has to come from the community, so start diggin’ in your pockets.”
“I’ve heard a lot of reasons tonight why this can’t be done,” said board member Brad Updegrove. “But maybe we should start looking at this by asking how we can do it.”
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment