DEPARTMENT OF

PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES

ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA

 

April 12, 2001

 

FACT SHEET

REGARDING THE PROPOSED INSTALLATION OF SYNTHETIC GRASS AT THE THOMAS JEFFERSON UPPER FIELD

OR ANOTHER FIELD LOCATION

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY

The County Board has indicated that it will appropriate $375,000 for consideration of the installation of a full-size synthetic grass field when they adopt the FY 2002 Budget on April 16, 2001. However, these funds are contingent upon staff completing a community process and the County Manager submitting to the County Board for its approval a formal recommendation on the field location and any agreement with Marymount University.  The County Manager will not make a recommendation until the completion of the community process and a review of comments from the community and the appropriate County Commissions.

BACKGROUND ON SYNTHETIC TURF:           

Staff from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources (PRCR) began investigating the possibility of using synthetic grass products as options for improving the playing surface of athletic fields over three years ago.   Staff met with industry representatives, had discussions with community members, completed research through athletic industry magazines and the Internet, and visited displays at mid-Atlantic athletic industries trade shows.

In June 2000, staff invited representatives of FieldTurf to make a presentation to members of the County Board, the Sports Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission and the affiliated youth and adult sports organizations.  Staff from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources, Arlington Public Schools and Marymount University also attended the presentation.  Additionally, PRCR staff and representatives from Marymount University visited Greenway Stadium in Cumberland, Maryland to inspect their soccer/football stadium Fieldturf installation, which was completed in July 1998.

In December 2000, installation of two soccer goalmouth areas of FieldTurf at the Thomas Jefferson Upper Field was completed.  This pilot program is intended to evaluate the value, the improved safety and quality of the FieldTurf surface as compared to the traditional grass goalmouth area on a soccer field. This site was selected as result of County staff discussions with the Board of Directors from the Arlington Soccer Association and the Sports Commission.

In November 2000, representatives from Marymount University met with Arlington County to discuss the possibility of partnering in the cost of installing a synthetic grass field that would benefit both the community and the University.  Although other fields were discussed as possible sites for this joint project, the Thomas Jefferson Upper Field seemed the most appealing location for both Arlington County and Marymount staff because:

• it is a lighted, rectangular athletic field that accommodates soccer and not baseball or softball play;
• the playing field and the perimeter areas as well as spectator, coaches and observing players' areas are surrounded by a ten foot fence; and
• this field is centrally located and on County Board property with adjacent parking and indoor restroom facilities. 

County staff considered the following rectangular fields sites as possible candidates for the synthetic grass installation: Thomas Jefferson Park, Quincy Park, and Wakefield High School.  Listed belowwas the criteria used in selecting the most suitable site for the synthetic grass field is staff's assessment of each field.

Thomas Jefferson

• It is a field that accommodates rectangular sports only, providing the greatest net gain in field availability
• The playing field and the perimeter areas as well as spectator, coaches and observing players' areas are surrounded by a ten foot fence
• This field is centrally located within relatively close proximity to Marymount University students
• It is accessible from major roadways (Arlington Boulevard and Glebe Road) with minimal impact on neighborhood roads
• The upper field is already a popular destination location for youth, adult and middle school soccer teams
• Installing synthetic grass at this location would provide current user groups far greater accessibility to this field
• The County would have an additional full size regulation field for both soccer and lacrosse
• The athletic field is located on property owned by the County Board
• Parking is available within close proximity to the upper field
• The existing sled riding hill used by the neighborhood on snowy days would have to be modified
• An environmental  assessment will need to be done
• Modifications to the width of the field will have to be done requiring a relocation of light poles,  storm drains and trees located on the hillside on the north side of the field
• The neighborhood  has concerns regarding parking and street access to Thomas Jefferson Park, School and Community Center

Quincy Park

• It is a field that accommodates softball and baseball in the spring and summer months and soccer in the fall months only
• Installation of synthetic grass at this location would limit the availability for Marymount University users during and after school hours since priority access to the field would be for W-L interscholastic sports teams with no access to their lacrosse teams in the late winter and early spring months
• While the baseball field has a temporary fence that is installed in early winter and removed in late fall, the soccer fields have no perimeter fence; the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association previously has not supported staff's proposal to place a fence around the entire perimeter of the fields

• Baseball would still require a portable fence to be installed for their season requiring sleeves to be installed in the synthetic grass surface
• Installing at this location would require at a minimum an additional $300,000 to $400,000 since the synthetic grass would need to cover the soccer field and the remainder of the baseball outfield
• Marymount currently uses Quincy Park as a soccer field in the fall; parking and transportation haven't been a serious issue during their practices and games
• Parking is within proximity to the athletic fields

Wakefield High School

• This field is neither centrally located nor within close proximity to Marymount students
• Installation of synthetic grass at this location would limit the availability for recreation and Marymount University users during and after school hours since priority access to the field would be Wakefield physical education classes and the interscholastic sports teams
• The existing field has no athletic field lighting for night games and practices
• There appears to be available space for a 210 long and 360 feet wide rectangular field with the County purchase of property off of South 14^th Street adjacent to the existing Wakefield Chesterfield soccer field 
• The neighborhood may have concerns regarding parking and street access to the Wakefield Chesterfield Field
• The high school is located on mostly secondary roads with the exception of South George Mason Drive on the west side of the school; the proposed soccer-lacrosse-field hockey field is on the east side of the school adjacent to South Chesterfield Road
• Some parking is within close proximity to the Wakefield Chesterfield field

The preliminary estimate for the installation of the synthetic grass and other costs associated with modifying the existing field to accommodate a regulation size soccer and lacrosse field at the Thomas Jefferson Upper Field is $750,000.  Arlington County has received a letter of intent from Marymount University to enter into a partnership regarding the use and funding of this field. They have indicated verbally that they would contribute half of the project's cost ($375,000). This cost covers the base preparation for the synthetic grass, installation of all materials including drains, an open graded porous stone base and porous stone screenings, the patented sand and rubber infill mix, and the series 2 custom blended 2 inch blended polyethylene fiber surface.

In return, Marymount is asking for a ten-year commitment, with a renewal option, from the County for their men and women's soccer and lacrosse teams to conduct practices and schedule home games.  Other current users who would benefit from the upgrade of this field include youth travel and house soccer teams, Jefferson Middle School soccer teams, and women's and coed soccer teams.  

Marymount University's projected use of the field will be about 800 hours annually (Please refer to ATTAHMENT A).  Currently Marymount compensates the County for approximately 625 hours of field use per year at Quincy and Bluemont Park fields and Kenmore Middle School side field.   Average spectator attendance at Marymount University home games for soccer is 50 to 75. Most of the spectators are students who carpool to the game in 3s and 4s.  The Marymount and visiting team normally come to the field in small buses.  Currently Arlington County, Arlington Public Schools and Marymount University have a memorandum of understanding for the use of the #1 soccer field at Quincy Park.

According to the manufacturer, the proposed synthetic grass field can support unlimited hours of play in a year.  Even with the Marymount use of this field, the County's recreational sports programs stand to gain about 1,300 hours of additional play by installing a synthetic grass field. Over the last two years, youth and adult soccer teams have used the T.J. Upper field an annual average of 520 hours annually.  Scheduled use on the lower T.J. field has been over 1,000 hours annually since the alternative surface field was installed a few years ago. 

ANALYSIS OF THE VALUE OF SYNTHETIC GRASS VERSUS NATURAL TURF

Criteria	Synthetic turf field	Natural turf field
Number of years before replacement	10 year warranty; could last as long as 15 to 25 years	5 years
Annual maintenance and field preparation costs	$700 ($7,000 over a ten year period)	$10,000 ($100,000 over a ten year period)
Number of hours of use annually	2,000	270 to 300 (optimally)
Number of weeks annually fields are closed	0	22
Quality during the season	Maintains same level of quality	Deteriorates from heavy play
Estimated number of games cancelled annually	0	15 to 25
Safety of field surface	Less leg fatigue and back and joint problems	As the field deteriorates, there is potential for more leg and ankle injuries

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Ample spacing between each blade of fiber allows cleated shoes to easily penetrate, rotate, and release, minimizing the chance of motion related injuries
• Players have used all types of athletic shoes and were very satisfied with field traction in wet or dry conditions
• The turf is non-abrasive and allows athletes to pivot or slide on the turf surface, without risk of "turfburn" injuries
• Orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine institutes have noted that synthetic grass significantly  reduces "footlock" and  anterior cruciate ligament injuries for sports requiring cutting and pivoting
• Coaches and players who practice or play on this surface reported less leg fatigue and back and joint problems
• The fibers do not break down in sunlight
• It does not retain and reflect heat like most artificial surfaces, although it is slightly warmer than natural grass on a hot day in direct sunlight
• Snow can be cleared off  during  winter athletic contests; rain drains off of the field quickly
• The field maintains its resilient qualities over time and will not stiffen, thus enabling athletes to enjoy a consistent natural bounce to the surface throughout the life of the field
• Maintenance is minimal; there is no mowing, irrigation, fertilization, weed control, aeration or overseeding required; lines and markings are painted onto the surface of the field annually
• The Oregon Youth Soccer Association indicated that they could schedule two to three times more with FieldTurf  and did not have to close the field for significant renovation
• Municipal park and recreation departments, private businesses, high school and universities as well as professional sports organizations in the United States have installed this surface over the past five years and have been very satisfied with their investment
• In addition FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) agreed to the installation of this surface at a practice field during the 1998 World Cup in France