Artificial Turf Needed For High School Stadium, York Suburban Principal Says

Courtesy of The York Dispatch
Written by Mary Beiler
December 20, 2005

By the end of this year's football season, York Suburban's Dick May Stadium could be best described as a "mud bowl," said high school principal Michele Merkle.

Merkle is asking the school board to consider putting in a new artificial turf field -- before something tragic happens.

The condition of the field is a safety hazard, she said.

"I think we're a hair away from a crisis situation," she said, adding that if the field is not replaced or improved dramatically, York Suburban's athletic teams may be forced to play all of their games away from home.

"We're at a point where we have to consider a major investment out there."

Options: It's a major investment that could cost the district up to an estimated $700,000 -- if it opts to put in a synthetic surface.

The other options could be to maintain what is already there by seeding and re-crowning the field. That would cost only about $6,000 a year, but it is a short-term solution, Merkle said. The district could also sod the field and install an irrigation system, which would cost $250,000, but that would only give it five years of breathing room.

A synthetic field would give the district virtually unlimited use, guarantee safety of athletes and last 10 to 15 years, she said. The only downside is that it would have an added expense of taking care of drainage.

Too many uses: In order to properly maintain a grass field, there should not be more than 40 uses per year, according to industry standard, Merkle said. A use is defined as a two-hour event.

For the past four years, Dick May Stadium has experienced 75 events in the fall season alone. The district's master plan and field assessment report in March 2003 states that more than 60 uses per year is considered excessive.

"The notion that we are doubling the standard is incredible," Merkle said. "Given the current demands, the athletic fields at York Suburban are woefully inadequate."

Beyond Dick May Stadium, field availability at the school is limited, she said. The band practices two nights a week, the majority of the field hockey field is a dirt infield, and the football practice field conditions are "very poor."

"It was never designed as a multipurpose field," she said.

Board member Emily Bates said she is most concerned about the safety aspect.

"It's only going to take one student to get hurt really bad," she said.

The board gave Merkle permission to hire an engineer to study drainage issues at the field at a cost of $2,500. In the next few months, Merkle said, she will work to get an overall cost and timetable and report back to the board in February or March.