In response to questions regarding the proposed turf fields for Fayette County. I received an email from Mr. Jim Dorsey, the athletic director at McEachern High School. He answers many of the questions that people have regarding the pros and cons of switching to synthetic turf fields. Read below from someone who has been through this process.
Ms. Herman, thanks for your email and I will try my best to help you out.
As Chris told you, we took the “Plunge” and installed two Sprinturf fields eight years ago and they are still going strong.
Everyone here at McEachern thinks that may have been the smartest decision in terms of serving our school community anyone here has ever made.
Our fields have performed without event and in eight years we have not canceled a single game or contest that was scheduled for those surfaces.
The amount of usage has gone from 12-15 events a year on natural grass to an unlimited amount of events throughout the year. Everything from physical education classes, ROTC, band and athletics to include graduation has been performed on our fields.
We did a study eight years ago to try and track what we were spending on the maintenance annually on our natural grass fields, which indicated it was in the $85,000 mark. This included the following:
Sod, fertilization, weed control, water, sprinkler maintenance, mowing and mower repair and purchases, painting of fields for events and the purchase of that equipment and supplies, manpower cost associated with the aforementioned.
One of the most difficult things to put a price on was the increased playability of the fields compared to the limited use we allowed before we had turf as well as the impact on cancellations of both games and practices.
Another byproduct of having turf we never even took into consideration is the wear and tear of our practice and game uniforms compared to playing on natural grass. They now last as much as 2-3 times longer because they do not get exposed to dirt. This also carries into the field houses/locker rooms in terms of cleanliness.
We have not had any issues with staff infections or MRSA. We have not noticed any increases in any heat related problems that we can attribute to the turf. Yes it is a little hotter than natural grass but it does not hold moisture, which lowers the humidity, which results in lower humi-temp readings.
Our maintenance costs have been basically zero over this 8-year period. We run a brush device across our fields 2-3 times a year but that’s about it. The brush device is included with the field and is pulled behind a golf cart or gator.
Good luck with your campaign and let me know if I can answer any specific questions. I feel like I have a pretty good knowledge about this as I also served on the committee that chose the vendor for our county as part of our latest SPLOST program that installed these fields in all of our Cobb System schools.
Much success,
Jim Dorsey
Athletic Director
McEachern High School
Powder Springs, GA 30127
As you can see, McEachern High School has enjoyed the benefits from switching to turf fields. One of the main items is after the initial installation fee, turf fields cost less (dollars and man hours) to maintain than natural grass fields.
In addition to saving money, having turf fields can generate revenue for Fayette County by allowing sports organizations and schools to host clinics, camps and tournaments on the high school fields (many attendees eating in our restaurants, shopping in our stores and even staying in our hotels – all the while contributing to the ESPLOST penny tax).
Some additional facts on the ESPLOST:
Personnel/teacher salaries are not covered by ESPLOST funds. ESPLOST funds are only for capital needs of the school system; improvements to facilities, technology, buses, etc.
The proposed ESPLOST is not a new tax, but a continuation of the current penny sales tax (ends April 2014). The proposed new ESPLOST is slated for May 2014 thru April 2019.
The turf fields use less than 4 percent of the expected funds generated from this proposed ESPLOST.
We need to remember that we are funding Coweta County’s ESPLOST every time we go to Ashley Park, Sam’s Club, the NCG Theater and more. We can do the same for Fayette County. All those that live, work and shop here will help fund this new proposed ESPLOST and the funding of turf athletic fields for all five county high schools.
We welcome comments on the TURF FIELDS FOR FAYETTE COUNTY Facebook page.
Sally Herman
Peachtree City, Ga.
