SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/30215
Facility&Operations | Dave Barlow New panel technology for field bases Editor’s note: This article was written by the designer of a new field base panel system. The system was first installed earlier this year at the Tampa Bay Rays spring training facility. H AVE YOU EVER ASKED YOURSELF, “Why isn’t there an alternative to rock and gravel for building bases for athletic fields?” For more than 10 years I have pursued the sci- ence of manufacturing polymeric interlocking panel base systems to replace traditional stone base work. With more than 2 million square feet of Tour Links panels installed around the globe, I began to concentrate my efforts on panel systems for athletic field construction, from rooftops to natural turf retrofits. This spring at the Port Charlotte, FL training home of the Tampa Bay Rays, Ultra- BaseSystems made its debut after we were contacted by our friends at AstroTurf to help retrofit a practice infield at the Rays facility. The goal was simple: allow the team to prac- tice on the same Astroturf Game Day Turf 3D system that was being installed at the team’s permanent home in St. Petersburg. One little hitch, however; we only had a few days to accomplish the task before the team reported to spring training. >> Below Left: OTHER THAN THE DRAINAGE DITCH FILL, no additional material was used to build the sub-base, only the existing soils that remained after the turf removal. Below Middle: THE AREAS AROUND THE BASES and mound were carefully measured, marked and easily trimmed using a jigsaw. Below Right: THE TURF was carefully seamed, rolled and allowed to dry. We made quick work of removing the existing sod, being certain to exca- vate exactly 2 ½ inches down, which would allow the finished panel and turf system to sit slightly above the existing base paths. Once the sod was removed, the area was scraped clean to assure a smooth, properly pitched base on which to construct the system. BASE PREP WORK The AstroTurf engineers requested a simple drainage system be installed around the perimeter of the base paths, and then the entire field was meticu- lously groomed and thoroughly com- pacted. Other than the drainage ditch fill, no additional material was used to build the sub-base, only the existing soils that remained after the turf removal. The entire area was then covered with our permeable, 6-ounce spun polypro geo textile which not only blocks new organics from growing but more impor- tantly acts as a panel stabilizer, helping to distribute the panel load evenly, creat- ing stability underfoot. The entire base prep work and drain system installation took about 10 hours with a three-man crew. >> Below: Starting at second base and working evenly towards first and third base, the panels were in- stalled symmetrically to ensure the area remained perfectly square. PANEL INSTALLATION The next morning our crew of seven installed the panel base. Starting at sec- ond base and working evenly toward first base and third base, the panels were installed symmetrically to ensure the area remained perfectly square. Expan- sion joints engineered into each molded panel allow for a smooth base profile re- gardless of temperature swings. A 1-inch expansion gap was left be- tween the panels and clay base paths in which the turf would be wrapped over the panel’s edge, secured and buried. The areas around the bases and mound were measured, marked and trimmed using a jigsaw. The majority of this crew had never even seen our UltraBase panel system before, yet in 3 hours the entire 6,700-square foot area was installed, trimmed and ready for turf. The new base was measured and marked and the crew went to work 30 SportsTurf | May 2011 www.sportsturfonline.com By