Turf Standing Up To Grass -- Artificial Turf Fields Hold Up Better Than Natural Grass - Miscellaneous



		Turf Standing Up To Grass -- Artificial Turf Fields Hold Up Better Than Natural Grass Courtesy of the Hartford Courant Written by Karen Hunter November 29, 2005 WEST HARTFORD & NEIGHBORS -- Thanks to a need for more playing fields to serve a growing number of youth leagues and student teams, many municipalities are finding artificial turf is rapidly going from a luxury to a necessity. Improvements in the quality of the surface have made it more appealing. A few years ago, West Haven was the only high school in Connecticut to have an artificial turf field. Since then, artificial surfaces have been planned for or installed in Berlin, Danbury, Farmington, New Canaan, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Stamford, Weston and Wethersfield. And, pending the results of a study to be released in December, the West Hartford school board will consider installing artificial turf at the Conard and Hall high school stadium fields. Artificial turf fields hold up better and as a result allow more use than natural grass fields, which often are used primarily for games because the ground tends to get soft and damaged from overuse and needs time to recover. Covering fields in artificial turf enables schools to use them for other activities such as team practices and physical education classes. Even schools from other towns use the fields when their grass becomes waterlogged. Artificial turf is also safer to play on. Where once it was little more than carpeting over concrete and tended to cause injuries, artificial turf now mimics real grass and prevents injuries. Some coaches say that teams that play regularly on such surfaces have an unfair advantage over teams that play on grass. An added incentive for artificial turf in West Hartford is that much of its cost will be paid by the state. The $1.5 million price tag would be offset by a $1 million state grant. Although West Hartford school officials were right to hire a consultant to help them decide whether artificial turf is economical and safe, the experience of other towns and teams appears to weigh in its favor.