GILROY
– The grass on Gilroy High School’s football field could be
greener if the district installs artificial turf this summer.
Replacing the over-used and damaged grass that currently covers the
field with synthetic turf is an option as the district looks at
repairing and maintaining the field for th
e long run.
GILROY – The grass on Gilroy High School’s football field could be greener if the district installs artificial turf this summer.
Replacing the over-used and damaged grass that currently covers the field with synthetic turf is an option as the district looks at repairing and maintaining the field for the long run.
“(The field) hasn’t gotten a lot of rest since August, and there are some major damage areas,” said Jack Daley, athletics director at GHS.
District officials say the turf would reduce maintenance costs and, along with other improvements to the GHS stadium, make the facility capable of also playing host to athletes from Gilroy’s second high school, due to open in 2008.
“I think it would be terrific,” Daley said. “From what I’ve read and all the people I’ve talked to, obviously, it’s playable 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You see it popping up more and more at the professional level, at the college level and even at the high school level.”
The sidelines and center of the field are presently the worst off, after heavy usage this year from GHS’ three football teams, Gavilan College’s football team, GHS’ soccer teams and even Morgan Hill’s Live Oak High School when the Acorns’ new field was not ready for fall football.
“That field cannot take that type of usage and if we modify that facility, I would see no need to build another facility at the second high school,” Superintendent Edwin Diaz said.
The GHS track and field both need a major overhaul before next year. Rough estimates for installing artificial turf, as well as resurfacing the all-weather track, run about $1 million, Diaz said. When the district identified excess funds from Measure J, it saw the possibility of improving the track and field, he said.
Daley said portions of the rubber, all-weather track have been patched during his 13 years at GHS, but it has never been fully resurfaced and is “in need of a major overhaul.”
The school’s broken scoreboard is also being replaced before next school year. The $15,000 scoreboard will be purchased using modernization funds.
Artificial turf or no, the field needs major repairs before next year, said Jeff Gopp, director of maintenance for Gilroy School District. Re-sodding the entire field would cost around $80,000, he said.
But by investing more money now, the district may save in the long run by installing a field that is easier to maintain and can withstand use by two high schools’ athletic teams and community groups.
“If we acquire the right product … if it’s done right, yes, it would probably be easier to maintain than the current field,” Gopp said.
The biggest maintenance concerns for the current field are watering, abating weeds and mowing once a week from spring until fall, Gopp said. Those issues would all be eliminated with artificial turf and it can be painted less often.
That’s not to say artificial turf is maintenance-free, Gopp said.
“The biggest offender on these artificial fields is chewing gum and sunflower seeds,” he said. “We need to be vigilant on that. You have to have drainage.”
The district is looking at several different options for artificial turf and seeking feedback from high schools that have already made the switch. Staffers visited Milpitas High School last week to see its artificial turf, installed last year, and plan to take a look at North Salinas , which has a different type.
In the past, athletes have complained that artificial turf causes more injury, but studies have offered mixed results and most now dismiss the theory.
Milpitas athletes suffered no injuries on their turf this year, Diaz said.
“The technology has really come a long way, I think, that as far as playability and cushioning, it’s not like Astro turf,” Daley said. “It’s not a rug rolled down over cement.”
Daley said artificial turf often offers superior playability to real grass because it provides consistent footing and roll of the ball.
