When Turf Is Tired, Try Artificial?

Courtesy of Portland Press Herald
Writen by Mark Peters
March 22, 2006

The town's high school athletes could find themselves gliding over a new surface this fall. A strong demand for fields among school teams and youth leagues has town and school officials looking at artificial turf as an answer.

Under a proposal included in the town budget, the synthetic surface would replace grass on the main field at Scarborough High School.

Supporters say artificial turf is more durable than grass and could provide thousands of additional hours of play at the popular site for soccer, field hockey, football and lacrosse.

Growth in the town's population is fueling the need for fields, as athletic programs continue to expand. The high school, for example, had four teams using the main field in 1995; 16 teams now use the field, according to school officials.

"It is driven totally by growth," said Jeffrey Messer, a town councilor who supports artificial turf.

The town budget, which the council will begin to review tonight, calls for borrowing $395,000 to fit the field with a carpet of artificial turf. If approved, the work would take place over the summer, and the field would be ready for the fall sports season, said Town Manager Ron Owens.

Messer said the town could expand the use of the main field from hundreds of hours a year to thousands of hours. The surface also drains quickly and requires less maintenance than a grass field.

An artificial surface could reduce the number of games and practices held at neighborhood parks. Some homeowners near these recreational areas have concerns about their heavy use, Owens said.

If approved as part of the budget, Scarborough would join a small group of communities in Maine that have decided to go with artificial surfaces. Portland converted Fitzpatrick Stadium into an artificial grass surface in 2001 to get more use out of the popular field off Interstate 295.

Portland is now looking to convert a second field, Memorial Field at Deering High School, to artificial turf. A group of parents in Cape Elizabeth has started to talk with town officials about doing the same at their town's high school.

Scarborough has been reluctant in the past to install an artificial surface because of the cost.

Estimates in past years came in at more than $800,000. Since then, the cost of artificial turf has dropped. Also, supporters have narrowed the scope of the project by eliminating work that isn't absolutely necessary.

The artificial field likely won't happen if the price is more than $400,000. Under the town charter, the council would have to hold a townwide vote on the project if it climbs above that price.

Messer says residents initially may consider artificial turf extravagant, but they often change their minds when they learn the field would be cheaper to maintain and could make money by being rented out.

Supporters, including school officials and the town's Community Services and Recreation Advisory Board, will have to convince councilors like Shawn Babine of the long-term benefits to win final approval.

Babine says he likes the idea of the field but needs more information about the overall cost.