New Turf Coming to CVUSD Stadiums This past summer FieldTurf, the installer of the artificial turf in the District’s four stadiums, came forward with an offer to replace the existing turf at virtually no cost to the District. The offer resulted from a class action lawsuit between FieldTurf, the installer, and the manufacturer of the turf used by FieldTurf. The District was not a party to this litigation. Prior to the start of the 2009 school year, the District installed FieldTurf artificial turf in each of the 4 high school stadiums. FieldTurf is recognized as the top artificial turf surface in world. It is found in: • 21 of the 32 NFL stadiums (including San Diego, Oakland, Green Bay, Seattle and Denver) • Most NFL practice fields • Most NCAA stadiums • Most NCAA practice fields • Most NCAA Bowl games Integral in choosing FieldTurf was the District’s ongoing concern for the health of its student athletes. According to the American Journal of Sports Medicine’s High School Football Safety Study comparing FieldTurf to natural grass (Vol. 32, No. 7, 2004), high school athletes performing on FieldTurf were found to experience: • 44% Fewer concussions • 33.4% Fewer ACL injuries • 26.6% Fewer severe injuries • 33.4% Fewer ligament tears The District has not experienced any turf problems related to the installation or quality of the turf product; its warranty has not been activated and the current turf warranty expires in 2017. Recent changes in CIF playing surface rules will result in the District incurring costs to modify the existing artificial turf to be in compliance. The District is the beneficiary of a lawsuit between the turf installer and turf manufacturer; however, it has no official standing in the suit at all. The District does not have leverage to modify the replacement schedule. Accepting the offer of the new turf will allow the District to postpone the cost of replacing the existing turf by an additional 8 - 10 years (2023-2025). The estimated cost of replacing the existing turf in the next 5 years will cost from $600,000 - $750,000 per stadium (FieldTurf Cost Estimator). The replacement turf will be of a higher quality than that originally installed, as a result of product upgrades since the original installation. This new transformation will give opportunities for high schools to make minor changes to the field graphics (such as color changes). With that in mind, the District will avoid costs associated with adapting turf to the new CIF playing surface rules. By accepting the offer: • Preseason soccer practice will be disrupted • Short term transportation of athletes from sites lacking alternate facilities • Laser grading of sub-surface (approx. $12,500 per site) • Costs to improve existing electrical power connections and cooling systems – as requested by site athletic directors (estimated at $25,000) The proposed schedule for the replacement of turf: • Don Lugo – November 15 ~ December 15 • Ayala – November 22 ~ December 22 • Chino Hills – November 29 ~ December 29 • Chino High – December 6 ~ January 6 It is possible that holidays may extend some projects marginally. If needed, it will be possible to adjust the order of the site schedule to accommodate possible playoff games, depending on the outcome of the current football seasons.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 21:41:15 +0000