School district officials at Henry Winston Memorial Stadium in Friendswood, TX have a problem. They claim the artificial turf at Friendswood's high school football stadium is coming apart at the seams.

Three years, $1 million later, field falling apart at seams

Based on a report by Rhiannon Meyers


Galveston County – The Daily News


Published September 16, 2009


School district officials at Henry Winston Memorial Stadium in Friendswood, Texas have a problem. They claim the artificial turf at Friendswood’s high school football stadium is coming apart at the seams


Three years ago, the district spent a little more than $1 million to replace the turf and track and claim the artificial turf was never properly installed, resulting in more than 300 repairs in the past three years.


FieldTurf Tarkett representatives declined to comment about the district’s complaints. Officials with Dallas-based RS Global who were hired to install the turf could not be reached for comment.


According to a story featured in the Galveston County – The Daily News,


Athletic Director Steve Van Meter, said the company hired unqualified day laborers “off the street” to lay the artificial turf and that crews did the “shabby installation” in a rush. When installing artificial turf, crews first spread out a layer of crushed rock and then cover that layer with carpetlike rolls of artificial turf. The turf was attached to a “nailer board,” a hard surface that is usually flush with the track encircling the field.


The nailer board anchors the turf to the field. Crews then cut out pieces of the turf and glued down slices of colored turf for logos, hash marks and yard lines.


Although glue was commonly used three years ago, crews now often stitch the pieces of carpet together, Van Meter said.


Finally, crews spread layers of rubber pellets across the turf to give the field traction. The workers improperly installed the nailer board, leaving a dangerous drop of up to eight inches between the field and the track, Van Meter said. The company has since corrected that problem.


Van Meter also said crews used either the wrong glue or cheap glue, which has since failed. Dangling pieces of turf that have come unglued create trip hazards, Van Meter said. RS Global has replaced scores of patches of unglued turf, creating a haphazard, uneven look to the field, Van Meter said.


Although RS Global has agreed to repair any and all problems, Superintendent Trish Hanks said. “We’ve been patient long enough, and we’ve been acting in good faith with this company in attempting to resolve and correct the poor installation and poor workmanship. We’re not satisfied at this time with their offers.”


To read Rhiannon Meyers’ article in its entirety go to:


http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?wcd=144119