Turf football field likely at BHS in 2008

Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Meanwhile, the park district has its own plans for two turf fields at Battle Point.

As hatches were being battened across Bainbridge last Thursday, Bruce Colley spoke of immortal grasses, atop which island athletes could one day run unhindered by the muck that now plagues many local sports fields.

And though a storm like that brewing outside would have likely deterred all but the brawniest leather-chasers from taking the field, it would be nice to know, he said, that they could if they wanted to.

“It was interesting to note that the Seahawks were playing that night at Qwest Field, which has artificial turf,” said Colley, who chairs a fields committee tasked with finding the best way to spend $2.5 million in bond funding designated for school district sports facilities.

“But even though the weather was as bad as it was, the playing conditions on the field were actually pretty good.”

For similar reasons, and because its durability would enable more widespread use by island athletes, artificial turf will likely be installed at the Bainbridge High School football field sometime in 2008.

Going artificial and resurfacing the high school’s track were identified as the committee’s top priorities, according to Colley’s Thursday report to the school board.

The nine-member committee – made up of district and local youth sports officials – first met last spring following the passage of the $45 million school bond.

Several other field needs were identified during the process, including better drainage at the upper field at Woodward, perimeter fencing at Ordway and improved access for the disabled at several school playgrounds.

Along with greater durability, the committee cited safety, lower maintenance costs and the recent gravitation of field planners toward artificial turf as reasons to make resurfacing the high school field paramount.

About 75 percent of new athletic fields use artificial surfaces, according to district research.

The committee sought advice from a number of outside sources, including representatives from Seattle Parks and Recreation, before deciding to make the switch.

“The truth of the matter is, our fields take a beating in our weather,” Colley said. “They’re not very usable for many days in a given year.”

Mud and water are the main culprits; dust also hampers players during the drier portions of the year.

In addition to improving playing conditions for high school athletes, Colley said the new turf would afford community teams more opportunities to use the field.

Also looking to improve playability and increase usage, the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District is making similar plans to switch to artificial turf at some of its fields.

In an agreement expected to be signed this week, the park district will look to add up to two artificial surfaces at Battle Point Park, said Director Terry Lande. Under the agreement, the Bainbridge Island Youth Soccer Club will raise money to convert the fields.

Reasons for the switch are largely the same as those cited by the fields committee, of which Lande is a member.

“The goal is to try not to build more fields,” he said. “We want to figure out how to best use the fields we already have.”

By adding turf – at a cost between $700,000 and $900,000 per field, according to Lande – both the park and school districts believe they’ll be doing just that.

Neal White, the school district athletic director, said the current natural grass surface at the high school has problems with drainage, especially around its edges.

Steady use also causes problems in the middle of the field, which is often worn bare, even when it’s dry.

“It’s awful,” he said. “The maintenance crews do what they can, but the grass has a hard time catching up. It takes a beating and doesn’t have time to grow in by the spring.”

White said BHS coaches are in favor of the switch, in part because superior padding beneath the newest artificial turf products reduce the risk of injuries. Also supportive was the school board, who on Thursday backed the committee’s recommendation, but issued no formal decision.

“We think it makes a lot of sense,” said School Board President Bruce Weiland. “Unfortunately, because of all the other capital projects, we probably won’t be able to do it as soon as we’d like to.”

Weiland agreed with Colley that 2008 was a safe target date for the project, the details of which – including which type of artificial surface to install – will be worked out as it gets closer.

Leftover money would be used to resurface the track and complete some of the other field projects identified by the district.

“There are a lot of projects on the table right now,” Colley said. “You can only realistically manage so many of them at once.”