Gary Moskowitz
Glendale High School senior Rick Martin has been hearing rumors about
artificial turf since he started playing football his freshman year.
Glendale Unified Supt. Jim Brown, who has a sample of artificial
turf in his office, has been encouraging the district for several
years to consider installing the playing surface at Glendale High.
But the school's football team, along with several other teams
that share the field during the week, continues to play on a
part-grass, part-dirt field that players and coaches say is somewhat
dangerous, and refer to as a "mud bowl" after rain or water from
sprinklers hits the field.
Despite the district's projected $8-million budget deficit for the
2004-05 school year, Brown thinks now is the time to replace Glendale
High's natural grass field with a synthetic playing surface and
surrounding rubberized track.
"[The artificial turf] will improve the quality of the field and
make it available on a much better basis to students and the
community," Brown said Thursday. "It could also create a revenue
stream and reduce ongoing costs associated with the current field."
Brown has asked district staff to look for possible funding
sources that could help cover the projected $1.3-million cost of
installing artificial turf at Glendale High. Brown brought his turf
sample to Tuesday's city council meeting to show council members, who
are considering installing artificial turf at Glendale Sports
Complex.
By purchasing the new field, the district could avoid more than
$70,000 in annual maintenance and upkeep for the old field, Brown
said. The field could also bring in money in usage fees, because the
district could rent the field out to other teams and athletic clubs,
he said.
"It would benefit a lot more people than you might think, because
a lot of people would want to play here," said Rick, 17. "On this
field, there's always that chance that you could hit a hole or
something, and it's easier to roll your ankle."
Loi Phan, Glendale High's varsity football coach, described the
school's patchy field as "a mess."
"I don't know why they just don't do it," Phan said Thursday.
"People are calling us, willing to pay to use the facility. You could
make a good business out of this.
"I lost my best kid last year because he busted his ankle stepping
into a pothole. The [artificial turf] is so nice. The only downside
is that it gets real hot in the summer. Even just standing there,
your feet are hot," he said.
Glendale Community College, meanwhile, is considering installing
an all-weather, synthetic turf and a rubberized track on its campus
by fall 2004, said Larry Serot, GCC's executive vice president of
administrative affairs.
The college has budgeted about $3.7 million for the installation
of the new turf, track and stadium lighting, Serot said.
George Chapjian, director of Parks, Recreation and Community
Services, said the city is projecting a $1.5-million cost to install
artificial turf at Glendale Sports Complex. The life expectancy of
the turf is about 15 years, and replacement of the top surface, when
necessary, would cost about $750,000, Chapjian said Thursday.
