Facility&Operations |
Devin Conway, PE
CONSIDERATIONS when replacing
synthetic turf fields >> Above: Field assessment and evaluation In the United States there are easily >> Left: Field permeability test Right: Turf removal and salvage I
N THE UNITED STATES there are easily more than 5,000 syn- thetic turf fields used by youth and adults of varying ages and com- petition levels. Each field has a different level of use, climate, installation quality, and maintenance practices that dictate how it will wear after its initial date of installation and ribbon cutting cere-
mony. Each field's owner also has slightly different expectation of how their field will wear and criteria for replacing an existing field. For some of you, it could be largely a perception of visual quality, not necessarily playability. For some, the concern is safety and wear levels. And for even others, it could be that the field that has just not performed like they expected or hoped it would and they want to move on to a new and different product.
22 SportsTurf | April 2012
more than 5,000 synthetic turf fields used by youth and adults of varying ages and competition levels. Each field has a different level of use, climate, installation quality, and maintenance practices that dictate how it will wear after its initial date of installation and ribbon cutting ceremony. Each field's owner also has slightly different expectation of how their field will wear and criteria for re- placing an existing field. For some of you, it could be largely a perception of visual quality, not necessarily playability. For some, the concern is safety and wear levels. And for even others, it could be that the field that has just not performed like they expected or hoped it would and they want to move on to a new and dif- ferent product. With the many possible conditions of a playing field, it is important to assess where your specific field is in the overall state of its life cycle and assess the rea- sons why it is in its current condition now. This determination requires evalu-
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