ASTROTURF TO REPLACE GRASS ON SIX KATY HIGH SCHOOL FIELDS:
Artificial turf to replace grass on football fields at 6 Katy high schools
HELEN ERIKSEN, CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT | April 20, 2009
Katy Independent School District trustees voted April 15 to install synthetic turf on all six Katy high schools competition fields at a cost of $5.2 million.
But at an April 20 board meeting, a district resident called the expenditure “staggering” and urged the board not to make a hasty decision in uncertain economic times.
Ross Raymond, also a Position 6 candidate in the May 9 school board election, asked trustees to reconsider the proposal, study viable alternatives and provide reasonable time for public comment.
“There is just too much at stake to rush this matter along,” Raymond said. “Table this item and allow time for careful consideration of both its cost and what we will lose if we tear up our natural grass simply because we lack an effective grass management program for our competitive fields,” he said.
The unanimous approval in a 6-0 vote — board President Eric Duhon was absent — clears the way for the work to begin immediately, officials said, with completion at the start of the 2009-10 football season.
According to district officials, the existing natural grass competition fields at the high schools can’t be safely maintained, making it more prudent to install synthetic turf to meet long-term needs.
The total estimated cost to complete the projects is not expected to exceed $5,226,431, district chief operating Officer Tom Gunnell told trustees.
“If the projects meet with your favor, it is our desire to complete all projects as soon as practical,” he said.
Typically with similar projects, Gunnell said, the three constraints are resources, scope of work and time. He said the district closely examined the constraints and determined the project was “absolutely feasible.”
The project would be paid for from existing funds primarily from three sources, Gunnell said. Those include cost savings from other projects, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone or TIRZ funding and money saved from the elimination of the parking lot upgrades to the Rhodes Stadium project, Gunnell said.
Katy Superintendent Alton Frailey said the decision to seek replacement of the natural grass fields is the result of visits he made to the six high schools and concerns about the fields that were brought to his attention.
After inspecting the conditions at each of the high schools’ fields, Frailey said he asked staff to conduct research and provide feedback. He said he also talked to people at other high schools and the district’s fine arts department.
“This was something that I asked them to do,” Frailey said. “This originated with me and my thinking and my desire to have the best for our students.”
District spokesman Steve Stanford said officials anticipate saving $150,000 per field or $900,000 over the 10-year life of the fields.
Raymond praised Frailey for “going the extra mile” for Katy pupils, but he said he wasn’t convinced the turf replacement would be a money-saver. However, he argued that the district could earn $7.7 million or $2.5 million in savings in 10 years by depositing the $5.2 million in a CD account paying 4 percent interest.
Katy ISD executive athletic director Rusty Dowling presented additional rationale to the board to support the request to install new turf.
He said synthetic turf playing fields would provide a more durable surface, result in fewer injuries for student athletes, support a higher volume of usage and lower maintenance costs for the district among other advantages.
Dowling also said the synthetic turf would expand opportunities for use of the fields by school and local sports organizations such as Houston Youth League Football, Katy Youth League Football and soccer teams.
“There are also numerous nonathletic activities on these fields such as pep rallies, marching bands, drill teams and flag corps,” he said adding that about 3,000 of the district’s 57,000 students use the fields.
Gunnell said a number of firms could handle the scope of work to complete civil engineering work and provide the playing surface. He said 60 percent of the work would be to provide the infrastructure and would take place underneath the synthetic turf and not above it.
Several trustees asked questions about the turf installation. Trustee Rebecca Fox wanted to know if the fields came with a warranty.
Dowling said the warranty is for eight years, but he anticipates the turf to last for 10 years.
Peter McElwain, the district’s chief architect, said Houston-based PBK Engineering would complete the civil engineering design and oversight of the projects at a fee of 3 percent of the final construction cost.
helen.eriksen@chron.com