After about two hours more of discussion on the merits of natural sod vs. artificial turf, the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education voted 4-3 in a special meeting July 29 to go with the artificial turf.
Voting in favor of the synthetic turf were Board Vice President Bob Binert and Trustees Toni Hunt, Kevin English, and Brenda McClanahan.
Casting no votes were President David Peer, Treasurer Martha Toth, and Secretary Victor Hogan. The three had voiced comments in favor of natural sod because of the cost.
The synthetic turf will cost $378,000 to install over the base bid for seed and the natural sod would have cost $28,000 more than seed.
Paul Wills of Plante Moran CRESA said at the July 26 meeting, where the subject also was discussed at length, that because of bids coming in lower than expected on the $79 million Belleville High School project, there is some $6 million that can be spent on alternates.
The football field surface was one of the alternates and engineers said a decision had to be made soon so work on the infrastructure could begin.
Andy Turbett of Fanning Howey architects said sod would be placed on six inches of topsoil with a drainage system underneath the field.
Synthetic turf would require a perimeter drain system and strip drain system across the field, then a six inch stone base and a concrete curb perimeter between the field and the track.
While the synthetic turf has a warranty for eight years, it is more difficult to estimate how long sod would last, “since it grows,” Turbett said.
A crowd of people packed the board room as a presentation was given by two synthetic turf professionals. Many people in the audience wanted to speak on the subject. Near the end of the meeting, Norm DeBuck of New Lawn Sod Farm in Van Buren Township gave an impassioned plea for natural sod.
Synthetic turf is not recyclable and the district will have to pay for landfilling the “carpet” because the EPA “tells us where to put it,” said Chuck Allbright from Turfix.
Allbright said the EPA was concerned about contaminants because players urinate, bleed, and vomit on the surface.
He said sometimes Mexico or some organizations will buy the old synthetic turf when it is being replaced.
Secretary Hogan was concerned where the money would come from in eight or ten years when the carpet needed to be replaced. The replacement cost was estimated at some $500,000.
Trustees English and Hunt said the board would have to start putting money aside for the replacement. Hogan and President Peer said there is no money to put aside and if they had money they would be able to buy textbooks, which they can’t afford this year.
Aaron Cross, the vendor from ProGrass said, despite claims, they have never found staph or MRSA on artificial turf. He said a player could get a scratch on his arm on the field and it could get infected in the locker room.
He said the warranty covers a lot, “but if somebody lights your field on fire, that is not covered by warranty,” Cross said.
“It’s not a magic carpet. Something will happen. We’ll train your staff how to make minor repairs,” he said.
He said that the carpet is made for cleats and flat soled shoes are hard on the field.
Toth asked about the annual marching band review “with a bunch of marching feet” and the vendor said it would be hard on the field, “but it will come back.”
Allbright said the old Astroturf was breaking people’s bones, but the new turfs have layers that cushion the surface.
“My opinion is spraying anti-bacterial spray on the field is B.S.,” Allbright said. “The industry doesn’t believe in it.”
The vendor said the synthetic turf does hold the heat and would be about 10 to 15 degrees more than sod. He said if it’s 90 degrees outside, the field would be 100 degrees.
DeBuck, the sod farmer, scoffed at that remark. “It will be hotter than that.” Later he said the temperature would actually be 40 to 50 degrees hotter.
“Ours is designed to be like perfectly groomed Bermuda grass,” Allbright said.
Cross said it would take from 45 to 60 days to install the field, once it is ordered.
Hogan asked could the field become unplayable and have to be replaced? And he was told there are state and federal guidelines for safety that could shut down a field if it can’t be replaced.
Cross said he will guarantee eight years.
“If we don’t have a half-million dollars and can’t replace it, we can’t play football,” Hogan said.
“We’d have to come up with $40,000 to $50,000 a year to put aside for replacement,” Treasurer Toth said, adding the district has had to tap the fund balance time and again and it will be gone in a year.
“Where will we get $40,000 to $50,000 a year?” she asked.
Peer, too, talked of the declining revenue and how they are searching for ways to keep teams and coaches on the field.
Vice President Binert said one of the biggest issues over the years is being able to use the football field, which is restricted during rainy weather and during times when it is being readied for football season. The marching band couldn’t practice there, either.
Toth said with an engineered field, with new drainage installed, that wouldn’t be a problem. The drainage will be put in place with either sod or synthetic turf. The field currently is seeded only and reportedly is in poor shape.
Binert said with synthetic turf the field could be used in the summer. Toth asked, “For what?” and Binert replied he didn’t know, but in the past the fields weren’t available to groups.
Binert said the field could be rented out for additional revenue, like in Birmingham, and Peer asked, “Who would we rent it to?”
Peer said if the district charged organizations in the community, they would be renting it to the people who actually paid for it.
Hogan said by actual count the district uses the field just 38 times a year and even if it were 48 times, it would be costing $1,000 for each use.
“We’re building a premier high school with premier facilities,” Trustee Hunt said.
Toth noted the district is outsourcing its vocational education to Wayne Westland and the district could bring that back if the facilities were available.
“You can play football on a natural grass field,” Peer said. “That’s what they try to emulate… If you only use it 30, 40, 50 times a year, you can do it on grass.”
Former BHS teacher and coach Wes Wishart said the district doesn’t have the grounds staff to maintain sod. He claimed it has been three years since the football field grass was aerated and a private citizen secretly spread 500 pounds of grass seed to try to improve the field.
“Our kids deserve the best,” Wishart said.
“We’re not opposed to a grass field, if you had a record of maintenance,” said resident CeeJay Marshall. “It’s horrible, horrible,” he said of the present field.
“A natural grass field would be wonderful, wonderful,” Marshall said. “But he (the facilities director) doesn’t have the maintenance crew to take care of what they have.”
Marshall suggested the district could go for a special millage in 10 years to replace the field and he would be first in line to vote for it.
“We already passed the millage [to build the high school]. Let’s spend the money,” Marshall said.
“I am not against artificial turf,” Hogan said. “I’d be second in line to vote for the millage. But to commit a half million dollars ten years from now, I can’t do it.”
Van Buren Township Clerk Leon Wright said as a parent, with two boys in the schools who are very active in sports, he was in favor of the artificial turf.
“We can’t give up on our kids… I know you don’t want to put a burden on the board in 10 years, but you can be proactive in putting money aside,” Wright said.
“We can figure out how to pay for it 10 years from now,” Wright said. “It’s time for us to stand behind them [teachers] … Give parents a reason to keep kids in our schools … Give kids something to be proud of and we’ll figure out how to fix it later…”
Binert suggested a sinking fund and Peer said the present sinking fund will be expired by then.
“There is a way. It doesn’t have to come out of general fund money,” Binert said.
“I see women sitting in the front row [of the meeting] whose jobs were eliminated [because of declining funds],” Toth said. “We didn’t promise the best in building the high school … We couldn’t afford the best.
“The only place we are best is the football field?” Toth asked. “It’s not part of our mission.”
“I think it is,” Hunt replied.
A man in the audience who did not identify himself said the field is used only 40 to 50 times a year because that’s all it can be used. “If we have a premiere athletic field … it will be used.”
DeBuck told the merits of natural sod and offered the district his talents to give advice. He said he has aeration equipment and could come and aerate the field.
“I have expertise to offer and I’m right here in the community,” DeBuck said.
“If I could have your grass crew out there taking care of the field, no problem,” Marshall said to DeBuck. “But this district has a history of not taking care of this field … People didn’t want to pass a millage for 22 years .. there’s a new type of people moving in here now…”
Peer said Brian Brice, supervisor of the facilities, already has said he’s going to need a full time person to take care of the high school fields, “no matter what we do.”
Peer said Marshall’s comments about the community are 100% not true and the community does support the schools.
He said before proposal A, the district levied 49 mills, which was one of the top three millages in the state.
“As to the millage, we finally got it right and the voters did it at the right time,” Peer said.
After more discussion, as the clock’s hand neared 10 p.m., Binert said they could go on with the pros and cons for some time, but he’d like to take a vote. He made the motion to approve synthetic grass, English supported and the 4-3 vote approved the motion.
Cost approved was $377,794.15.
As a related matter, approved an eight-year, third-party insured warranty bond on the synthetic turf at a cost of $2,000.
The meeting adjourned at 9:58 p.m.