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Published: Tuesday, Sep. 01, 2009 / Updated: Tuesday, Sep. 01, 2009 02:41 PM

District studies ways to preserve turf for playing fields

FORT MILL TOWNSHIP -- 

As more and more feet trample the playing fields of the Fort Mill School District, the grass and surfaces aren't the only things that take a beating; So does the district's purse strings.

The Fort Mill School Board recently heard from Alan Wilson with Wilson and Associates Sports Turf of Lexington about how to better manage the playing fields that district has.

The district allows outside interests from within the community, such as local recreation leagues, to use the playing fields when they aren't being used by the school's athletic teams. Despite the gesture, this leads to a more difficult time of keeping the grass alive and healthy.

The constant pounding of the surfaces with foot traffic makes the life expectancy of the surface shorter.

“It's just that the ground is so hard, that new grass cannot recover,” Wilson said. “And you end up with holes and more compaction. It (the grass) will never make it with any kind of foot traction.”

With the increased foot traction comes the possibility for injuries.

“Safety has got to be number one,” Wilson said.

Wilson's business maintains fields statewide and is in the process of building fields at the new York High School.

One problem Wilson said the district is facing is it needs more aeration for the fields.

“Where the soil gets compacted it's not enough room for the soil to get air,” he said. “You want the root system strong enough that you can hardly drive a stake through it.”

Wilson suggested that the district give the fields some recovery time.

“There is hope,” he said. “This is not difficult.”

Superintendent Keith Callicutt had mentioned at a recent school board meeting the possibility of installing artificial turf at the district's playing fields, but that would have to hold off for the present.

“At some point and time in the future, that may be part of the discussion,” he said. “One of the issues we are dealing with is time. It takes time for grass to grow.”

Callicutt said if the district would go the artificial turf route, they would need to do more research. Right now, officials don't even have a cost estimate for such a project, but any amount might seem too steep at a time when the district had to cut its operating budget by more than $2 million, lay off staff and cancel programs.

He also said that if the district did consider artificial turf that it shouldn't just be for the district's football fields, but other fields, including practice fields.

Artificial turf has a higher initial cost in the beginning, but the maintenance cost of the product is low compared to maintaining grass. There is a 10 to 15-year shelf life of artificial turf before it needs to be overhauled, while with grass, the maintenance cost remains high, including paying for irrigation needs.

School board member Diane Dasher said she hopes the district would eventually look at the idea of artificial turf.

“I think it would be great to put down artificial turf because of the needs for the fields,” she said.

Like Callicutt, Dasher said she doesn't see the issue taking shape in the near future, but believes the benefits will ultimately outweigh the initial costs if the district eventually went that route.

“Once people look down the road and see the maintenance of it, they should be OK with it,” Dasher said.

Fort Mill High Athletic Director Bailey Jackson said artificial turf for high school fields is the wave of the future, but he knows it could be some time before it's seen at Fort Mill schools.

“Artificial turf would help any athletic program and community,” he said. “I wouldn't turn it down, but as long as we are cutting positions, I don't think it is a reality.”

It's not unheard of in this region.

In May, Cherokee Central School System in North Carolina retrofitted its playing fields to an artificial turf product for its football stadium.