Turf’s up
By JENNIFER KELLEY
Cherry Hill Sun
7/29/2007

Platt plans for state-of-the-art artificial turf fields to be ready for spring ’08 season

For many of the township’s athletes, coaches and athletic directors, the grass isn’t always greener – in fact, most would prefer no grass at all on their playing fields. And, last week, they finally got their wish when Mayor Bernie Platt announced that three state-of-the-art turf fields could be implemented throughout Cherry Hill this fall, ready for play by the 2008 spring sports season.

Platt made the announcement at a July 9 Council meeting, noting “it’s time to make a lasting change to the youth sports landscape and give our organizations the fields they deserve to serve our children.”

The synthetic fields will replace the worn grass surfaces at the upper field in Chapel Avenue Park, off West Chapel Avenue, and two athletic fields in the DeCou Park, at Evesham and Cropwell roads.

The total cost of the project should come in just under $4.5 million, officials estimated, with a competitive bidding process for the project beginning in August. Township Business Administrator Maris Kukainis said the township hopes to secure long-term, low-interest financing to pay for the projects, in addition to applying for grants and state funding via the Green Acres program.

The plan presented to the community last week also called for focused field and parking-lot lighting at each location, as well as an upgraded and newly lit walking trail at the West Chapel Avenue site.

About 3,500 of the township’s children play on the grass fields every year during sports seasons, officials estimate, and the majority of the athletic sites are overused and difficult to maintain, with weather conditions a constant issue. The township’s Master Plan – updated in 2002 – even notes the dearth of playable fields in the township.

“My kids are playing on the same fields I played on when I was young, and they are not in good shape,” said John Martines, travel president of the Cherry Hill Soccer Club.

Cherry Hill’s athletic clubs pay for the upkeep of the fields, installing sprinklers, fixing drainage problems and hiring firms that handle their general maintenance – “but we just can’t keep up,” he said. “With all the money we’re putting into these places, we’re still just limping along, completely subject to the weather. If it rains one afternoon, the kids might not be able to get back on the fields for days. It’s a constant issue – either they’re overly dry or too wet and muddy.”

The borough of Audubon had a similar problem with its fields, said Mayor Anthony Pugliese. Like many communities, the tiny municipality saw an explosion in girls sports teams in recent years, which put a strain on its athletic facilities.

“We found ourselves dumping money into maintenance of the fields, and if kids played on any of them after a rainstorm, we’d be right back to square one,” he said. After heavy rains left the borough’s fields unplayable during the 2004-05 sports season, Pugliese and the rest of Audubon’s governing body decided to go turf – and they’ve never looked back.

Spring marked the first season on their new fields, and the result has been “simply fabulous,” Pugliese reported, going as far as partially crediting the implementation of the new playing surfaces with the Audubon Girls Softball Association’s two titles this year.

“All the other towns they played had rainouts at some point, but our girls were able to get consistent field time throughout the entire season,” he told The Sun. “If it rained, they could get right back on the field once the storm passed.”

Pugliese also noted that synthetic turf has come a long way since the nightmarish Astroturf that carpeted Veteran’s Stadium in Philadelphia.

The field turf, as it’s called, laid down in Audubon has individual green strands woven into a simulated dirt mixture of rubber and sand, providing added cushioning, spring, safety and grip.

While the initial installment cost is expensive – about $1.4 million in Audubon – it was less costly than acquiring new playing fields and pumping the needed $50,000 a year in maintenance fees into them, Pugliese said, noting that the fields will last at least 10 to 12 years. He said the majority of the cost was in the initial installation, such as engineering fees and drainage work; replacing the turf once the infrastructure is laid proves much less expensive and can even be done in patches, much like carpeting.

Cherry Hill’s governing body learned all this through in-depth research into the endeavor over the last two years, Platt said. Township leaders toured Audubon’s new fields, as well as those recently installed in Haddon Township and a few other surrounding communities.

“There is no question that this is a sound economical decision,” Kukainis said.

Platt noted that, in addition to saving the township money in the long run, the installation of the turf fields will increase Cherry Hill sports leagues’ playing and practice times by 50 percent, as they will be able to play year-round and later into the evening.

But the move is not just for the township’s athletic divisions – the whole community will benefit from the upgrades to the playing fields, township officials contend.

“This will provide us with the opportunity to host sports tournaments, which will serve as an economic generator for area hotels, restaurants and businesses,” Kukainis explained. “Additionally, the improvements to these parks will encourage health and fitness activities in the township, which is part of our overall emphasis on promoting outdoor activity in general.”

Martines said he applauds the move.

“Not only will this give us more usage time and playability on our existing fields, but we’ll be able to take the money we put into maintenance and re-invest it in field equipment, training and programs.”

And – as with most things related to sports – there’s also the pride factor.

“When teams come here to play us, they’re usually shocked by the condition of our fields. They’re unattractive and present safety hazards,” Martines said. “Installing state-of-the-art turf will improve the level of playing and safety here, and bolster our pride in Cherry Hill.”