field turf...

[Lance 228]

how does this stuff do when it freezes? we get a lot of freezing rain around here and sometimes the season runs almost up near xmas..do they run anything under the field to keep it from freezing solid?

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

It freezes much slower than a natural playing surface and thaws much quicker than a natural playing surface. G-Man brought up this potential issue about a week ago, so I did some research on the matter...

[ghs84 10]

how about the crown in the middle of the field,do they have a formula for that or is every field different the way it is with natural grass?i expect it wont be completely flat or water would stand.i was just wandering because i havent been up to look at it personaly but i was thinking will it be high or low.has anyone noticed it that has been up to view the new field?

[GMan 3,569]

The field is fairly flat with a drainage system underneath.

 

Mitchell expected to be ready for 'The Game'

 

By TOM BONE

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

 

BLUEFIELD — With 38 days remaining before the Beaver-Graham Game kicks off football season in the Bluefields, the timetable for installing synthetic FieldTurf at Mitchell Stadium has drawn a lot of attention.

 

There’s no cause for concern, said city official Robin Lefler.

 

Lefler, director of the City of Bluefield’s parks and recreation department, said Tuesday afternoon, “We’ve been very lucky with the project so far, and I see us being right on schedule. Maybe even ahead of schedule.”

 

When the project was announced in mid-April a press release stated that the new surface “is expected to be completed around August 15.”

 

The sophisticated drainage system is in place under tons of gravel. That stone base was completely level on Tuesday, waiting for truckloads of carpet to arrive. Lefler said “we’re looking for that shipment to arrive no later than tonight (Tuesday).

 

“They begin putting the carpet in (Wednesday); we’re looking at a two-week time period (and) that carpet should be in place.”

 

The wild card in the scheduling is rain. Lefler said, “We’re hoping that a lot of the rain will hold off until after we get this stuff down, because when they start to actually glue the carpet together, that’s when the rain may come in and pose a problem.”

 

The price tag for the turf installation exceeds $700,000, officials stated in April. The major portion of the cost came from a gift by Bluefield philanthropist June O. Shott.

 

The turf, manufactured by Tarkett, is being installed by VASCO Sports Contractors of Massillon, Ohio, the same firm that is in charge of the FieldTurf now laid at Princeton’s Hunnicutt Stadium. Lefler said it’s been “incredible” to watch the Bluefield construction unfolding.

 

VASCO also installed the new synthetic surface earlier this year at West Virginia University’s Puskar Stadium-Mountaineer Field. FieldTurf has been installed in more than 1,900 locations in 40 countries.

 

“The base work’s done,” Lefler said. “I think that VASCO ... did an excellent job, and they worked very efficiently in getting that portion of it completed.”

 

She said, “We really studied the benefits of FieldTurf, the pros and the cons. When you’re looking at a field surface that’s synthetic, that you never have to cut, you never have to ... fertilize or anything. In terms of the cost associated with field maintenance, it’s a no-brainer.”

 

She added, “It’s supposed to be a lot safer, and safety is always first and foremost.”

 

The surface is warranted for eight years.

 

“We’re really excited about what it’s going to look like,” Lefler said. “I think the whole community is really going to pleased when they see it. ... We’re going to get a quality playing field regardless of the weather, regardless of the number of games that we have.”

 

She said that 50 to 60 games a season are hosted at Mitchell, including home games for Bluefield and Graham high schools, junior varsity, middle schools, and the Parks and Recreation Department youth football program — whose players are eagerly anticipating their new season.

 

“Those little guys are really excited about having the opportunity to play on that,” Lefler said.

 

Asked about the Mitchell Stadium renovation, Bluefield High School Principal Joseph Turner said, “The administration and the coaches are extremely excited about it. It’s one of the biggest things that has happened in Bluefield in a long time, in (terms of) recreational facilities.

 

“It makes Mitchell Stadium one of the best facilities in the state. ... That’s great for our program, and it’s great for our neighbors across the line at Graham.”

 

Bluefield High head football coach Fred Simon said during the April announcement that the new surface would “mean a lot. You know you’re going to play on a first-class field.”

 

Doug Marrs, the head football coach at Graham, said, “This is something that kids in towns our size don’t get a chance to do.”

 

The city of Bluefield owns the stadium, and the Tazewell County school board rents it for Virginia-side games.

 

Mitchell Stadium was constructed in 1936. The last major work was done in 1999, primarily on the concrete grandstand.

 

Lefler said the city is spending “more than we had anticipated, in looking at the paving and some things that need to be done. But we figured ... when you’re doing a project like this, you’d better get it right. That’s what we’re trying to do, to make sure that all our ducks are in a row and that we’re doing things right.”

 

The track around the football field has been dug up and re-paving is scheduled. A stone retaining wall at the north (scoreboard) end of the stadium is being built by a local contractor, the Woody Brothers, Lefler said. New entrance gates will be added.

 

“We’re also going to have a nice vinyl fence all the way around the field,” she said. It will be 4 feet high and colored “royal blue.”

 

Lefler said it all adds up to “a whole new look.”

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

My father talked with someone involved with the program several weeks ago. That person told my father that they were going to have to cut 8-inches off of the field to level it for the turf. He was also told that there were several places on the field where it had began to sink in and there was dip in the playing surface, which was going to be addressed.

[BigD4VT 11]

Looks flat to me

 

[ghs84 10]

i never got to play on turf but its gotta be weird going from the natural crown to a completely flat surface.

[Lance 228]

especially in the SWD where everyone likes to "run down hill".

[Bulldogs52 483]

Went to Princeton today to take a look at there field and it is pretty sweet looking...

[ghs84 10]

i seen a picture of it,and you are right its nice.is turf indestructable?does it have a life expectancy?ive heard of stadiums having to replace it after time,and wear and tear.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

[ QUOTE ]

i seen a picture of it,and you are right its nice.is turf indestructable?does it have a life expectancy?ive heard of stadiums having to replace it after time,and wear and tear.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

It'll have to be replace at some point. It's pretty much indestructable to normal activities that will take place on it. The turf at Bluefield will come with a 8-year warranty on it. The life expectancy will vary based upon many factors...