FieldTurf at Pleasant Valley High, Wow! (Philadelphia, Allentown: school district, universities, upkeep)

[Summering]

Well I knew our school taxes were high for some reason...........
And here is a biggie.
A project several years in the making is underway. The football field is scheduled to be done by the beginning of the fall sports season. (08)
The grass field is GONE .......in its place is two layers of stone. The field will be laid on top of the stone and is a mixture of rubber and sand.
Wow, we will be like the 40 major NCAA universities that have FieldTurf in theri stadiums. 21 of the National Football Leagues 32 teams have FieldTurf at their stadiums and/or practice complexes.
Also, Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays , Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays have FieldTurf at their stadiums.
Other high schools that have FieldTurf include Liberty, Nazareth and Palisades along with J Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown. Our own East Stroudsburg is currently installing FieldTurf ( hummm, maybe we got a twofer deal)
When PV School District made the decision to go ahead with the project it got several bids. They looked at several different companies before choosing.
Lucky for PV they got $ $600,000 in grants. There will also be a walkway of honor and a wall of honor.
There is talk that maybe the Mountain Valley Conference soccer and field hockey playoff games could be at PV.
It was stressed that the new surfaces won't just bve for the school to use. They want the community to use it also. Little kids football and soccer......The all-weather track that people can come and use also......
I'm not sure what all weather means. If it snows it must be plowable I am guessing............Does anyone know more about this turf?
I guess it is the up and coming thing to do..........grass is just not cutting it ( no pun intended) anymore.
I'm just praying my tax bill won't have this on it. Our school tax is high enough.......

[poconoproud]

Yes, I heard. My boy plays football for the school. It's been a rumor milling about for about 2 years now. The school (high school) has been making other improvements too, like the wrought iron fence on the rt. 209 side, and the message board. Big bucks being paid out by the district right now. The grants should help offset a lot so that our taxes don't climb sky high, hopefully. I agree that they are high enough. I thought the gambling was supposed to help alleviate that, as well?

[FightinPhils]

I'm not so sure that all of these schools putting in artificial turf is a good thing. There is a reason that artificial turf is disappearing on professional baseball and football fields...there is a much higher rate of injury on artificial turf as opposed to natural grass. Many a knee has been blown out on artificial turf. It wasn't until the Philadelphia Eagles moved out of the Vet and its nexturf and into Lincoln Financial Field with its grass surface that the Eagles were a desirable team to come to as a free agent. Nobody wanted to play at the Vet. Also, when Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliated with the Yankees for its AAA team, the whole deal was contingent on replacing the stadium's turf with natural grass. The artificial turf, and the fact that the county would not replace it at time, was a major factor in the Phillies leaving SWB for Allentown. Teams don't want to risk injury to their future players.
As Summering pointed out that the Twins, Blue Jays, and Rays use this turf...and all of their stadiums are considered among the worst facilities in Major League Baseball.

I think this trend of NE PA high schools putting in turf on their fields is another example of how NE PA can be behind the times.

[Summering]

Wow, FightinPhils...........you have posted some great information.
I just would not have known these facts at all. The composition of the turf sounded quite interesting. I thought it was a good idea ( except for any additional taxes)
So really, some teams hate this turf?
I have always liked "real" grass for fields.......especially .........football fields.
When I see artifical turf on a football field and the shoes without the spikes, I cringe.
The game doesn't feel the same. Even more so if it isn't played outside in the elements.

[poconoproud]

That was part of the rumor mill, too. That the turf would make the kids sick or increase injuries. I really thought the whole thing had been abandoned until this week. OMG The last thing I need is my son getting more injuries!

[Summering]

Oh no, PProud.......this is quite worrisome. I would just hate to hear it causes more injuries.
Some are putting this turf in, some are yanking it out...........What is the better thing to do I wonder?

[Summering]

FOXNews.com - How Green Is Artificial Turf? - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News
Wow, this article makes it sound like it gets too "hot"........

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=090...o&confirm=true Here is another interesting story on the Turf.....The Steelers want GRASS!

I go for the mud, snow, and wet grass.........the REAL thing.........over artifical. Isn't that a part of the football game?

[LNTT_Vacationer]

The turf they use today is nothing like the first generation stuff -- what was on the old vet. I've stood on both. Was shocked that the vet felt like a cheap indoor/outdoor carpet laid on concrete -- falling on that would be like falling on your driveway. Brutal.

The new stuff is awesome. A soft consistent surface that is supposed to even reduce injuries as opposed to natural grass. And the beauty is that it's virtually indestructible. Can be played on 24/7 through any type of weather and remains perfect. One rainy game and a HS field is ruined for the season. And if playing baseball/softball, no bad bounces -- I've watched it turn infielders fearless and with perfect technique; no wincing.

The linc can use the real stuff for one sunday a week, 8x a year and afford a fortune in upkeep. Even then, I'm not so sure they would go the same route again.

[FightinPhils]

Synthetic Turf: Health DebateTakes Root

[JenLie]

So that's what there doing at the stadium. I drove past there the other day and was wondering what was going on.