Photo by Kevin M. Cox
|
|
Friendswood football players practice on the turf at Henry Winston Stadium. Athletic Director Steve Van Meter estimates more than 400 repairs have been made to the artificial FieldTurf surface since it was installed during the summer of 2006.
|
Officials: Surface at stadium should be replaced
By Rhiannon Meyers
The Daily News
Published September 16, 2009
FRIENDSWOOD — School district officials claim the artificial turf at Friendswood’s high school football stadium is coming apart at the seams — and want the contractor to replace it.
“We expect to get what we pay for,” Superintendent Trish Hanks said. “We’ve been patient long enough, and we’ve been acting in good faith with this company in attempting to resolve and correct the poor installation and poor workmanship. We’re not satisfied at this time with their offers.”
Hanks said the district’s attorneys are corresponding with Atlas Track, the company the district hired to replace the turf three years ago. Atlas Track has an agreement with FieldTurf Tarkett to install their product only.
Three years ago, the district spent a little more than $1 million to replace the turf and track at Henry Winston Memorial Stadium, 702 Greenbriar. But the turf was never properly installed, resulting in more than 300 repairs in the past three years, Athletic Director Steve Van Meter said.
Canada-based FieldTurf Tarkett, which has manufactured turf for more than 40 universities, dozens of National Football League teams and three Major League Baseball teams, hired Dallas-based RS Global to install the turf at the Friendswood stadium in summer 2006, Van Meter said.
FieldTurf Tarkett representatives declined to comment about the district’s complaints. Officials with RS Global could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Van Meter said the company hired unqualified day laborers “off the street” to lay the artificial turf and that crews did the “shabby installation” in a rush. Workers were still putting down turf an hour before the 2006 season’s opening football game, he said.
When installing artificial turf, crews first spread out a layer of crushed rock and then cover that layer with carpetlike rolls of artificial turf.
The turf is attached to a “nailer board,” a hard surface that is usually flush with the track encircling the field. The nailer board anchors the turf to the field. Crews then cut out pieces of the turf and glue down slices of colored turf for logos, hash marks and yard lines.
Although glue was commonly used three years ago, crews now often stitch the pieces of carpet together, Van Meter said. Finally, crews spread layers of rubber pellets across the turf to give the field traction.
The workers improperly installed the nailer board, leaving a dangerous drop of up to eight inches between the field and the track, Van Meter said. The company has since corrected that problem.
Van meter also said crews used either the wrong glue or cheap glue, which has since failed. Dangling pieces of turf that have come unglued create trip hazards, Van Meter said.
Although no one has been injured tripping over the loose turf, RS Global has replaced scores of patches of unglued turf, creating a haphazard, uneven look to the field, Van Meter said.
Although RS Global has agreed to repair any and all problems, Hanks said the district was not satisfied with the repairs.
The field is an embarrassment and should be replaced, Van Meter said.
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print |
Letter |
10
Comments
|
|
|
