Henrico County could join a growing trend by converting its high school football fields from natural grass to artificial turf. But first, voters will have to give their approval.

If Henrico voters approve a bond referendum in the Nov. 8 general election, the project for the county’s nine high schools — Deep Run, Douglas Freeman, Glen Allen, Henrico, Hermitage, Highland Springs, J.R. Tucker, Mills Godwin and Varina — would get the green light.

Supporters say the new surfaces would bring numerous benefits to high school teams and an economic opportunity to the county.

“I think it’s a no-brainer,” Deep Run football coach Chad Hornik said. “I would be elated if that happened at our place.”

Turf fields are more durable than grass, which deteriorates throughout the season. They drain quickly, making them safe to use in rain or immediately after it. They require minimal upkeep.

In the past decade, public and private schools across the state have begun to make the switch. Collegiate, St. Christopher’s and newly renovated Huguenot High School all have artificial turf.

Huguenot is the only public school in the area with an artificial field. Fairfax County is in the process of converting all its football fields to artificial turf. The University of Richmond and Randolph-Macon College have done so, too.

In Chesterfield County, there’s no money available to make the switch, said Tim Bullis, director of community relations. An official reached with Hanover County Schools said she couldn’t immediately provide an answer as to whether the county was involved in similar discussions.

As local high schools have added field hockey and lacrosse to their athletics programs, the strain put on football fields deepens. In the spring, some fields are used almost constantly during after-school hours. Changing to artificial turf would allow for more playing time on the fields.

“Generally we just don’t have enough field space,” said Neil Luther, the Henrico County director of recreation and parks. “Natural grass can only take so much wear and tear before it basically starts to turn to dirt.”

When they’re not in use by schools, Luther said, the artificial fields would be available for communities. There’s money to be made in renting fields to youth sports tournaments. River City Sportsplex, a synthetic, 12-field facility in Chesterfield County, hosts tens of thousands of athletes each summer and charges thousands of dollars per weekend for use of its facility. Chesterfield reaped an economic impact of $24.8 million from sports tourism in the 2015 fiscal year.

Switching to artificial turf, Luther said, allows the county to leverage an asset for the general athletic community.

Already, the county has committed $10.9 million to installing artificial fields at Greenwood Park in Glen Allen. The project is designed to create “a tournament-quality sports complex” according to the county’s website. Construction is scheduled to begin next month and finish in October 2017.

Henrico has allotted $12.5 million for the high school fields project, which is just a slice of the $87.1 million planned for recreation and parks improvements. And that’s just one of five referendums on the ballot, totaling $419.8 million for capital improvements to schools, libraries, roads and other projects. Each of the five referendums will be voted on individually.

Highland Springs football coach Loren Johnson said he imagines there will be questions about the risk of injury or the health effects associated with a rubber infill, the tiny pellets that serve as dirt. In 2014, NBC News reported on a possible link between the fields’ rubber pellets and blood cancer.

But Henrico won’t use a rubber infill in its fields, Luther said. Instead, its fields would contain an organic material made of cork and sand. But the health risks don’t end there. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services found in 2013 that some of its artificial fields contain low but potentially unhealthy levels of lead.

Despite the risks, Johnson is in favor of switching to artificial turf.

“I think the pros outweigh the cons,” Johnson said.

Hornik considers artificial turf safer than grass because he doesn’t have to worry about his players tripping over a hole in the dirt or stepping on a sprinkler.

Artificial fields also would be a boon to coaches, who often bear the burden of preparing the field for Friday night. Hornik estimated that high school football coaches spend four hours a week in season cutting and painting fields.

Artificial turf makes the game faster, Johnson said, and lessens the effect of weather on the game. Teams that play run-first, smash-mouth football benefit from muddy conditions more than pass-oriented teams.

There’s no timetable yet for when construction would begin, Luther said. It could take seven years to fund all the projects in the referendum, but Luther said the field work could be done earlier in that time frame.

The county plans to hold roughly 100 meetings before the Nov. 8 election to answer questions from the community about the referendum, said Andy Jenks, Henrico schools spokesman.

There’s another benefit to not choosing rubber, Luther said. The organic infill doesn’t get nearly as hot as rubber fields, whose surfaces can reach 130 degrees in the summer.

The infill has a life of eight to 10 years before it needs to be replaced. The entire field can last 20 years. Over a 20-year lifespan, Luther said, artificial surfaces are cheaper than grass.

 

Source : richmond.com

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