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Facility&Operations | By Mary Helen Sprecher

In terms of sports, however, it is the bestof times. The demand for quality fields is atan all-time high. It's easy to see why: morekids are playing than ever before. In fact, theNational Federation of State High School As-sociations (NFHS) just released its annual

Sports Participation Survey, which as it hasevery year for more than two decades, showsmore kids playing sports than the previousyear. In fact, in the 2011-12 academic yearthere was an all-time high of 7,692,520 par-ticipants.

Look at the top 10 of those sports,and what do you see? A lot of sportsfields getting used: football, soccer,lacrosse, baseball and softball are all inthe top 10 most popular sports. Thatadds up to the previously mentioneddemand for facilities.

Given the rise of these sports, theturf field could be the best of choices.After all, it's able to host multiple sport-ing events in the same day without get-ting skinned, it's not susceptible tomany of the problems facing naturalgrass, and it has better drainage by farthan fields that will become muddy fol-lowing a rain.

Unfortunately, in the current econ-omy, budgeting for new fields—naturalor synthetic—continues to be a prob-lem. And sports field builders are see-ing schools faced with an impasse whenit comes time to build or rehab fields.

But, say the builders and designers,things are looking up.

"We think the tide is slowly turn-ing," says Paul Schinner of The MotzGroup, LLC in Cincinnati. "Mostcontractors in our business were hitharder in 2010 than they were in

2008 or 2009. Now, as things areslowly picking up with the economy,we are hoping that people who havebeen on the fence will start to spend.The amount of off-season activity (re-

Financing and constructing a new field

14 SportsTurf | December 2012

might say it was the best of times and theworst of times. Field managers might not be

quite that dramatic, but they're no strangers to the risks, rewards and challengesof their profession.

Charles Dickens

While budgetplanning can beintimidating, it canopen the door topossibilities formore economicaloptions. In fact, insome installations,project owners havetaken the concept ofsaving money, andelevated it to awhole new level.

Photo courtesy of Verde Design, Santa Clara, CA

Photo courtesy of Vasco Sports Contractors, Massillon, OH

Photo courtesy of General Acrylics, Inc., Phoenix, AZ

Photo courtesy of Beals Alliance, Folsom, CA

quests for budgets, consultations etc.)seems to be encouraging."

So where does that leave us? Withchoices. Sometimes they're difficult, some-times they're easier than others. Accordingto the book, Sports Fields: A Constructionand Maintenance Manual, sports field man-agers facing field construction or improve-ments can help by suggesting options tolessen the financial burden. Some conces-sions to be considered:

• Do you need a completed facility nowor can you wait a while for fencing, lighting,seating or other aspects of the project? Ifsome aspects will be delayed, be certain toinclude the means for future additions (extraconduit for future lighting, piping for futureirrigation, etc.) in the initial phase.

• Have you decided upon a given surfaceor specific site, or are you willing to con-sider alternatives?

Seeking creative solutions to budgetingissues can be accomplished—but it must bedone in the planning stages. Once con-struction has begun, change may not be

easily accommodated, or if it is, it maywind up causing more delays and costingmore money—the exact opposite result youwere striving for.

The book also notes, “In budget plan-ning, consider not just initial costs but alsocosts of accessories and amenities to beadded later such as goals and maintenanceequipment. The cost of financing should beconsidered. Consider also the long termplan for the use of the facility. Before com-mitting to a project, be certain that you canafford the schedule of maintenance, as wellas a reserve for eventual repair and/or re-placement. Expert and diligent mainte-nance is necessary to extend the useful lifeof fields.”

While budget planning can be intimi-dating, it can open the door to possibilitiesfor more economical options. In fact, insome installations, project owners havetaken the concept of saving money, and ele-vated it to a whole new level. Sam Fisher ofFisher Tracks in Boone, IA watched a highschool build a competition-quality track

and field facility by using community dona-tions and input.

"Local people came in with tractors andbackhoes and did what they could," notedFisher. "They did a lot of fund-raising too,within the school."

The former facility had become danger-ous and unusable, and had to be completelydemolished before any work could begin.But with the town firmly behind the effortand merchants and residents contributingeverything from materials to labor to mone-tary donations, a new facility was built, andcame in 25% below budget. (The facilitycurrently has a 400-meter all-weather rub-berized track encircling a natural turf foot-ball field, with field events, restrooms,concessions, seating for home and visitingfans, a press box, parking for cars and busesand more.) Fisher points to it as an exampleof community involvement that can help fi-nance a project.

Schinner, too, has seen schools working toraise funds for their own projects as well."Booster groups are becoming a bigger part

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16 SportsTurf | December 2012 www.sportsturfonline.com

Facility&Operations

and taking a much larger role," he notes. "Insome cases, they're completely financingprojects. Also, there has been a shift to spon-sorships from local business and hospitalsthat are adding funds in exchange logos onthe fields, naming rights etc. Schools are try-ing to leverage donated 'in-kind' work fromlocal contractors and alums for certain partsof the project that do not interfere with man-ufacturers' warranty such as drainage pipeand stone, excavation and concrete work."

All the pros note that cutting cornersshould never be done at the expense of thefinished product. In working to bring downcosts, it is essential for consumers to re-member that sports facilities are specificallytailored to athletic use. They are not simplygreen spaces, grassy areas or anything else.(And when working with a turf surface, thisgoes without saying).

Seek out contractors, as well as designersand suppliers, who specialize in sports facil-ities, and ascertain that they understand allissues the project will be facing, includingtime constraints, budget requests and more.Ask where community involvement would

be appreciated, and where it would be ap-propriate. The investment in knowledge-able partners will pay off throughout thecourse of the project, and in years to come.

If you're not sure about how to find asports-specific contractor, ask for recom-mendations from colleagues who have putin or rehabbed sports fields. Find out whothey've worked with, and whether theywere happy with that person. In addition,find out whether the project proceeded ontime and on budget—or whether therewere surprises, good or bad. You can also goto the website of the American SportsBuilders Association, www.sportsbuilders.org, and use the search feature tolocate companies in the area.

Once you have the right partners, it'stime to make sure your organization workswell with them. The old adage, "too manycooks spoil the sauce," is still valid. For aproject to be successful, there must be oneperson (and only one) who is authorizedto work with designers, contractors andmore, in order to discuss the ongoing sta-tus of the project. Examples of this person

might be a school principal, field manager,athletic director or other. That person, inturn, should establish a flow of communi-cation with those working on the project,as well as with the end user. Regularmeetings should be held to discuss theprogress of the project, as well as any ques-tions or concerns. That point person,then, can relay this information back tothe design/build team.

Expertise and information are the mostimportant commodities that should beworking together to make your projectsucceed, both from a financial perspectiveand from a performance standpoint.Singly, expertise and information are valu-able, but together, they're invaluable, andwill give you the long-term satisfactioneveryone wants. ■

Mary Helen Sprecher wrote this article onbehalf of the American Sports Builders Associ-ation. Available at no charge is a listing of allpublications offered by the ASBA, as well astheir Membership Directory. For info, 866-501-2722 or www.sportsbuilders.org.

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