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/791889
www.stma.org March 2017 | SportsTurf 37 ■ Increasing lines to the field from 2 to 2.5 or 3 inches ■ Installing the new system in the subgrade to keep it below the gravel layer, cutting some lines with a carbide-toothed trencher and bedding them in sand to accommodate pieces of foundation in the subgrade ■ Using new Hunter I-40 opposing nozzle and adjustable stainless steel heads throughout the outfield ■ Installing Hunter stainless I-20s on the sidelines ■ Placing Hunter MP Rotators around home plate to more precisely water this area, as well as around the warning track to reduce dust ■ Reworking the valve bank with a 3-inch supply line using Hunter Brass valves ■ Adding a Watertronics Booster station with variable frequency drive to eliminate the irrigation system's pressure fluctuations ■ Installing a Baseline Base station 1000-control system to store system operations and field data in a cloud-based application ■ Installing 12 permanent moisture sensors throughout the field to monitor infield, outfield and sidelines individually Moving to the Baseline cloud-based system allows for moni- toring of the field and operation of the irrigation system from any computer or mobile device. Whether you're standing on the field using your phone or half way around the world you are con- nected to your field. FINISHING TOUCHES With repaired drain lines and a complete irrigation system, we put everything back together. We formed the infield and warning track to proper elevations for the sake of accurate transitions and clean lines. We set irrigation heads in position/to-grade using the Total Station Rover. We brought the subgrade to-grade, and then installed a 4-oz. geotextile to prevent subgrade contamination of the gravel. With the Total Station System, we could grade the base, set the offset 4 inches higher in the computer to grade the gravel layer, then raise it 10 inches to grade the surface. Each surface will per- fectly reflect the one below it, and material depths will be consistent throughout the entire field. We added pea gravel to a 4-inch depth. The rootzone was installed at a 10-inch depth. The irriga- tion system was run constantly to moisturize and firm the rootzone. Once the field was to-grade, we installed a 6 oz. white geotextile to retain moisture and stabilize the sand rootzone during the Winter Classic. Final touches were put on the field in late February, and the field will be sodded using sand-based sod cut with a 1-inch profile. Steve Bush CSFM, CFB, is owner of Bush Turf and an STMA Commercial member. Follow Steve on Twitter, @BushTurf. The break in winter weather allowed the field to be completed February 21.