Finding the Right Partner to Surface Your Athletic Field
By: Jim Dobmeir
From high schools and community recreation programs to big-name colleges and universities, sports programs are expanding and evolving. And, as they do, synthetic turf continues to gain in prevalence and popularity by delivering on the promise of providing consistent playability, outstanding durability, and increased safety.
So, it stands to reason that as our schools and communities invest sizable green to upgrade their grass, the expectations for the project and the product are greater than ever. That means big pressure for the decision-makers responsible for selecting the right field builder for the job.
When deciding which company is best suited for a field project, many face the choice of working through a general contractor who hires sub-contractors or working directly with a field builder who handles the entire job.
While both situations can provide positive results and satisfied customers, there are a few key benefits to selecting a field builder that has the capability and expertise to serve in the role of general contractor, providing a design-build process.
Expertise
Whether a project goes well or not is very much a function of the company behind the project and the product components. A vertically integrated field builder can act as general contractor, applying its expertise to all aspects of the project, including excavation, the perimeter, the crushed stone base construction, turf systems materials, and installation. An overwhelming majority of synthetic grass fields are installed on some variation of a crushed stone base.
Because the base is critical to the long-term performance and aesthetics of the field, expertise in this area is crucial. An experienced and reputable field builder is intimately familiar with the field building process and understands the more demanding tolerances required when building a crushed stone base for an athletic field compared to other applications, such as road and parking lot construction.
When evaluating synthetic turf companies, there are three crucial comparisons that can help you better understand the product you are purchasing and how one company’s process stacks up to the next.
1. Turf Construction & Infill Volumes
Ask about type of fibers used, the number of fiber strands per square foot, and the distance between the rows of fibers. All three are important elements in the field’s ability to deliver on its promise of playability and durability.
2. Shock Absorption
G-Max is the measurement of a surface’s shock absorption. The lower the number, the safer the system is to athletes.
3. Secondary Backing & Permeability
The main purpose of any turf’s secondary backing is to lock the fiber tufts into the primary backing – keeping the fiber strands from pulling out due to use over time. All brands use liquid applied urethane during the manufacturing process. However, not all drainage systems are equal. Ask how the urethane is applied to the backing and about the permeability process. Check to see if the backing contains uniform drainage perforations for consistent drainage.
Customer Service
Because purchasing a synthetic turf field is a large, long-term investment, it is important to hire a company that is committed to being there for the long haul. For many decision-makers, installing a synthetic turf field is an undertaking that only happens once, and lessons learned sometimes come a little too late.
Researching and comparing true area of expertise, capabilities, and financial stability is the first step in ensuring you will be working with the right team. Are you hiring a company or a partner? When working directly with a field builder, schools are afforded a direct point of contact over the 12-year to 15-year life of the field. That means regardless of the concern – turf, drainage, seams or field markings – there’s only one company to call. Working with a reputable, financially sound field builder increases the likelihood of partnering with a company that will be in business for the length of your warranty and beyond.
Project Management
Building synthetic grass athletic fields is major construction and requires sound project management. Having one company handle the magnitude of paperwork involved not only creates an efficient process, it can also mean peace of mind. Bid forms, contracts, submittals, progress invoicing, scheduling, and close-out documents are all crucial administration details. How these tasks are handled can mean the difference between a successful field installation and a problem project.
Jim Dobmeier is founder and president of A-Turf and Surface America. Based in Cheektowaga, New York, A-Turf, is a leading field builder specializing in the supply, installation and administration of synthetic turf projects, www.aturf.com. Surface America is recognized as a leader in the playground surfacing industry, with a complete line of playground surfacing systems, www.SurfaceAmerica.com.
Case Study
St. Joseph Collegiate Institute
Buffalo, New York
The benefits of synthetic turf were clear for St. Joseph Collegiate Institute—a Catholic high school in Buffalo, New York, for young men—which recently built an impressive 183,000-square-foot multi-sport and multi-field synthetic turf facility. Consultant Paul Bieron, who led the project for St. Joe’s, says the decision to work directly with a field builder ultimately came down to guarantees – on quality, expertise, and the commitment to get the job done right.
After years of playing on a traditional natural grass field, the new synthetic turf field offered the promise of durability for year-round usage, consistent playability, and no more weather worries due to the harsh winters and rainy springs. For the school’s baseball team, the new field would mean early season outdoor practices – a luxury for the Western New York region. To say the expectations were high was an understatement.
The central components of this particular undertaking were to design facilities that would:
* Significantly enhance the campus’ 40-year-old deteriorating playing fields
* Maximize the school’s limited (11.9 acres) and landlocked property
* Help persevere through Buffalo’s well-chronicled volatile weather, which is not conducive to year-round usage of traditional facilities
* Allow for each of the school’s sports teams to play all home games on campus
* Increase attendance at sporting events
* Position St. Joe’s to remain competitive as competing schools upgraded the natural grass fields to synthetic turf
“We were given a commitment by A-Turf that our project would go, that they would take care of everything, and we would only have to deal with them,” said Bieron. “Everything was guaranteed, coordinated, and handled by one company.”
The “everything” St. Joe’s was counting on included the field, the track, water and fiber optic lines, and the installation of the scoreboard. And, while everything was well-planned, even the best plans on paper have a few bumps.
“The backstop needed for the baseball portion of the field was a unique problem,” said Bieron. “This became a real issue for the installer due to the circumference needed and the fact that we had to anchor the backstop to the cement curb. It just didn’t work as planned. But, I worked with A-Turf, and together we found a solution by putting in a second curb.”
Solutions were needed again when the school decided to add fiber optics to the plan. In this case, the answer was easy – dig another trench. The trouble came when the crew installing the fence cut right through one of the fiber optic cables. What could have been a major issue involving an architect, a change order, and added expense turned out to be a minor disruption. Bieron credits the streamlined process to working directly with the field builder that delivered exceptional expertise and customer service.
Product Roundup
SportsGrass by ForeverLawn
SportsGrass by ForeverLawn is a high-performance, all-weather synthetic turf that truly enables your athletes to play at a higher level. Say goodbye to the problems that inferior turf brings to your sports program. Offering unmatched performance, a natural underfoot feel, and a playing surface second to none, SportsGrass by ForeverLawn is the ideal solution. Now you can experience the difference that SportsGrass offers—a realistic grass-like appearance and performance that can be played on all year round in any type of weather. Antimicrobial protection is available to help create a cleaner, safer environment for your players.
www.sportsgrassturf.com
Celebration Bermudagrass
Athletic directors and school administrators are taking an active role in saving water and their budgets by selecting Celebration Bermudagrass for their sports fields. Celebration is an improved bermudagrass variety that has exceptional drought resistance and tolerance. Celebration is able to stay greener longer when water is turned off and recover quicker than other varieties when it returns. Celebration has also finished first in tests done to study shade tolerance, surface hardness, and damage recovery. Able to be sprigged-in at a lower cost, Celebration’s rapid lateral growth can have a field ready for play in a little as three months.
www.CelebrationBermudagrass.com
Tru Mark’s Bulk Liquid and Aerosol Chalk
Tru Mark offers temporary field marking solutions without special cleaning agents for removal. It is a solution for saving time and labor for short duration events. Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker has introduced Bulk Liquid Chalk in 5-gallon pails for application on both synthetic turf and natural grass applications. Also offered is aerosol chalk in 20-ounce cans with 18 ounces of material. Using foot or brush abrasion along with water removes all effects of field marking chalk.
www.AthleticFieldMarker.com
Play Ball! by EP Minerals
EP Minerals is the manufacturer of Play Ball! Infield conditioners. Play Ball! is made from 100 percent diatomaceous earth (DE), which is kiln fired for hardness. Play Ball! performs better than calcined clay products with half the amount. Superior water absorption ensures that your field will be at its best, rain or shine. Play Ball! will control moisture and leave your fields dust-free all day. Play Ball! is also economical. With an application rate half that of the leading calcined clay conditioners, you can condition two fields for the price of one. Play Ball! will not breakdown or float in the soil. It also does not gum up and need replacing.
www.epminerals.com
No Fault Sport Group
Since opening in 1974, No Fault has maintained a true commitment to providing the most innovative product development for applications such as playground safety surfaces, sport field turf, tennis surface products, and virtually all sport-related surfaces. No Fault maintains reasonable pricing with an unparalleled level of quality service by an experienced staff, demonstrating stability in the sports and recreation industry. With more than 35 years in this business, No Fault brings the experience and high-quality products to the market in the sport turf and sport surface industry.
www.nofault.com
Alpine Services
Alpine Services is a leader in the construction and renovation of athletic fields nationwide. Alpine offers a variety of natural and synthetic turf grass fields to fit most budgets and applications. They include the native soil, amended native soil, Alpine sandwich, sand cap, and high-performance sand fields. Each of these types of fields is designed for maximum performance and receives the same careful attention for which Alpine is known. Advances in the artificial turf industry, combined with the growing need of athletic programs for fields that are constantly playable, makes artificial turf the ideal solution for these fields.
www.alpineservices.com
