Marblehead group eyes artificial turf for high school field

MARBLEHEAD – A group of local youth sports organizations wants to put artificial turf on the Marblehead High field to maximize the use of that field and open up other town playing fields for more community use.Representatives of the Marblehead Field Turf Project – Rob Dana, Michael Rockett and spokesman Bruce Bial – attended a special meeting of the School Committee Monday morning to explain their request for $1.5 million, which will be raised with a debt exclusion override.The committee, which has its own Web site – www.marbleheadfieldturfproject.com, is not connected with the School Committee but School Committee members voted unanimously to support the project and accept the new field if the Turf Committee is successful."Hopefully we can do it for $1.2 million, but we want the extra $300,000 in there," Bial said. The turf itself is expected to cost around $300,000. The rest of the money will be for the installation of a foundation and drainage for it.He explained that Piper Field, the MHS football and soccer field, is currently used 55 hours a year. If artificial turf is installed the field could be used 55 hours a week, for outdoor gym classes, cheerleaders, band practice and co-ed youth sports, making it "a community asset."He said Wellesley recently installed artificial turf in a field it now uses 44 weeks a year, compared to the 25 weeks a year it was used before. Artificial turf also saves money on maintenance – some turf providers also provide maintenance contracts – and eliminates the concern that one rainy-day football game could take the field off-line for a year."It’s the equivalent of five new fields," he said.The committee planning the new high school passed on artificial turf in 1999 because "The industry was in its infancy," Bial said. "Now there are 1,000 installations a year."Once the turf is installed, youth sports organizations have agreed to pledge money each year to a town donation account to pay for its replacement in 10-12 years. The field could also be rented to profit-making sports groups.