bosshogg
March 23rd, 2006, 07:27 AM
Grass today, turf tomorrow
S.C. State plans switch to synthetic playing field
By GENE CRIDER, T&D City Editor
Thursday, March 23, 2006
With too many people playing too many sports at Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium, the grass is being worn out, South Carolina State University officials say. The university is replacing the grass with synthetic turf.
While natural grass is the preferred playing surface, the new style of artificial turf will allow the stadium to be used more with less maintenance, said John Smalls, SCSU senior vice president for financial affairs. The university is estimating the cost at $552,000.
“It’s something the university will eventually have to do, unless we get more fields,” Smalls said.
The SCSU Board of Trustees Executive Committee voted unanimously for the change Wednesday, after hearing university officials discuss their problems with the natural grass on the field now. The university is planning to place the new turf down before the start of next fall’s football season.
Bulldog Stadium’s field is being worn out by too many sports, with both soccer and football teams sharing the field, school officials say.
Smalls says it has become increasingly difficult to maintain the field to NCAA standards.
The university has five fields on campus, which officials say doesn’t give it the space it needs to rotate sports to different surfaces to prevent wear on the grass. Smalls said studies suggest field usage can be increased by a factor of three when grass is replaced with synthetic turf.
Athletics Director Charlene Johnson said that with synthetic turf, “soccer as well as football can say they have a home.”
Artificial turf can be used more frequently than grass fields without the wear, Smalls said. The change may allow them to rent the stadium out more frequently. The $3,000 to $5,000 the university charges to use the field could be used to help pay for the new turf, Smalls said.
It can cost between $30,000 and $60,000 to maintain an athletics field in good condition, Smalls said. The university now spends about $45,000 a year to maintain the grass at Bulldog Stadium. Smalls estimates the cost of maintaining the synthetic turf at about $4,000 a year.
“This type of turf will benefit our university because it can be used regularly with little maintenance,” Smalls said. The synthetic turf will have to be vacuumed occasionally and washed during dry spells.
Smalls also said the turf is environmentally friendly because it is made from recycled tires and does not require the use of herbicides and pesticides.
“We really didn’t see any negatives,” Smalls said.
Other institutions that have made the switch are happy with it, Smalls said. He quoted a Western Carolina University official as saying, “We could not have made a better decision” and a Howard University official said, “Synthetic turf is the only way to go.”
And Smalls said, “It’s not like the old turf they used to have. ... They have totally redesigned it.”
Synthetic turf is estimated to last 20 years. Smalls said the cost of the switch could be made up in 10 to 12 years.
The university has yet to decide how it will pay for the change. Smalls is expected to present the board with a plan in April.
Options include placing the project in the university’s deferred maintenance budget.
The university sets aside money left at the end of the fiscal year for deferred maintenance. The university could also set aside a portion of any tuition and fee increases for the change.
Trustee Martha Smith said the university will have to be very clear why it needs a half-million dollar project, and said she wants to ensure the university has no more pressing issues to take care of ahead of the synthetic turf
S.C. State plans switch to synthetic playing field
By GENE CRIDER, T&D City Editor
Thursday, March 23, 2006
With too many people playing too many sports at Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium, the grass is being worn out, South Carolina State University officials say. The university is replacing the grass with synthetic turf.
While natural grass is the preferred playing surface, the new style of artificial turf will allow the stadium to be used more with less maintenance, said John Smalls, SCSU senior vice president for financial affairs. The university is estimating the cost at $552,000.
“It’s something the university will eventually have to do, unless we get more fields,” Smalls said.
The SCSU Board of Trustees Executive Committee voted unanimously for the change Wednesday, after hearing university officials discuss their problems with the natural grass on the field now. The university is planning to place the new turf down before the start of next fall’s football season.
Bulldog Stadium’s field is being worn out by too many sports, with both soccer and football teams sharing the field, school officials say.
Smalls says it has become increasingly difficult to maintain the field to NCAA standards.
The university has five fields on campus, which officials say doesn’t give it the space it needs to rotate sports to different surfaces to prevent wear on the grass. Smalls said studies suggest field usage can be increased by a factor of three when grass is replaced with synthetic turf.
Athletics Director Charlene Johnson said that with synthetic turf, “soccer as well as football can say they have a home.”
Artificial turf can be used more frequently than grass fields without the wear, Smalls said. The change may allow them to rent the stadium out more frequently. The $3,000 to $5,000 the university charges to use the field could be used to help pay for the new turf, Smalls said.
It can cost between $30,000 and $60,000 to maintain an athletics field in good condition, Smalls said. The university now spends about $45,000 a year to maintain the grass at Bulldog Stadium. Smalls estimates the cost of maintaining the synthetic turf at about $4,000 a year.
“This type of turf will benefit our university because it can be used regularly with little maintenance,” Smalls said. The synthetic turf will have to be vacuumed occasionally and washed during dry spells.
Smalls also said the turf is environmentally friendly because it is made from recycled tires and does not require the use of herbicides and pesticides.
“We really didn’t see any negatives,” Smalls said.
Other institutions that have made the switch are happy with it, Smalls said. He quoted a Western Carolina University official as saying, “We could not have made a better decision” and a Howard University official said, “Synthetic turf is the only way to go.”
And Smalls said, “It’s not like the old turf they used to have. ... They have totally redesigned it.”
Synthetic turf is estimated to last 20 years. Smalls said the cost of the switch could be made up in 10 to 12 years.
The university has yet to decide how it will pay for the change. Smalls is expected to present the board with a plan in April.
Options include placing the project in the university’s deferred maintenance budget.
The university sets aside money left at the end of the fiscal year for deferred maintenance. The university could also set aside a portion of any tuition and fee increases for the change.
Trustee Martha Smith said the university will have to be very clear why it needs a half-million dollar project, and said she wants to ensure the university has no more pressing issues to take care of ahead of the synthetic turf