The obvious question quickly arose when officials at Ridgeland High School announced plans to install artificial turf on the football field this summer.
When public school systems are struggling to remain financially viable, how can spending half-a-million dollars on a football field be justified?
In the coming years the likely answer will be: How can they afford not to?
As Ridgeland celebrates the official christening of its new-age turf tonight when the Panthers host Adairsville in the season opener for both teams, the school and the community see the field – the first of its kind in the world – as a source of pride. According to coach Mark Mariakis, it will be a coming-together place for many years.
“That was one of the major benefits of the turf,” said Mariakis, whose team had to move a home playoff game last year because of drainage issues with the old field. “It will be a focal point for the community. It’s something that’s going to be this nice when kids who are in kindergarten will be up here.
“The band has been practicing on it. Our soccer teams can actually host games now. We even have six recreation league Saturdays scheduled, something we’ve never been able to do before. It rained the other day from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and we were practicing on it at 4. You could have worn socks on it and not gotten wet.”
The field, installed by Dalton-based AstroTurf, is unique in a couple of ways. The fibers are horseshoe-shaped and designed to stay straight up even under heavy use. Thus, it will give players a more consistent playing surface. Older type turf surfaces tend to become flat over time. Also, a cooling agent built into the fibers keeps the field cooler than older turf types.
AstroTurf officials have used Ridgeland’s field as a showcase of its new product, bringing in people from all over the world to view it. A similar surface is being installed at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, and several more are planned.
“This system is state of the art,” said Andy Belles, AstroTurf brand manager. “There have been a lot of changes in the past eight to 10 years, and we’re happy to be involved in the more cutting edge of the technology. The folks at Ridgeland are going to enjoy their new field and get many years of use out of it.”
What often gets lost when schools install artificial turf, Belles said, is that over time it will more than pay for itself. Citing a Synthetic Turf Council report, he estimated that a typical field in the South will save more than one million gallons of water. Add in the fact the field no longer needs to be mowed, and the annual savings will be well into the thousands of dollars.
Calhoun High School installed field turf a year ago, and athletic director and football coach Hal Lamb said that not only has it saved the school system money, but it also has made a big difference in his stress level during game weeks.
“It’s been a huge benefit to us,” said Lamb, whose old field, like Ridgeland’s, was experiencing drainage issues. “I no longer have to mow three or four times a week, so it saves time and money. Also, the lining of the field is a big thing. We don’t have to do that any longer. Before, I would cringe if there was rain in the forecast. We’ve had no issues at all with it. It’s perfect.”
Environmentally, the field turf is about as “green” as it can be. In addition to saving water and fuel, schools no longer have to use pesticides to grow grass and the fields themselves help keep millions of old tires and plastic water bottles from reaching landfills.
“The average field saves 20,000 tires from going into the landfill,” Belles noted. “In addition, we’re using soybean-based products, which are a renewable resource, and we replace 40 to 60 percent of petroleum-based products back into our system.”
Mariakis appreciates all that, but his biggest concern right now is getting his two-time defending region champion football team ready for a highly anticipated season. Not having to spend time preparing or worrying about his field almost makes the veteran coach giddy.
“We’ve not had one single hiccup or negative element with the AstroTurf people and the process,” he said. “I talked to the folks at Calhoun, McCallie and Baylor (also AstroTurf clients), and they all loved it. Just being able to practice on it – and the kids love practicing on it – has been a huge advantage. It’s just been phenomenal.”