Six years into its eight-year warranty, the artificial turf field behind Twin Valley High School has left the district with a crummy situation on its hands.
In the past year, athletic director John Giuseppe said he has seen an excessive amount of the grasslike artificial fibers come loose from the field, exposing patches of the rubber crumbs and sand used at the base of such fields.
Addressing the board finance-construction committee Monday, Giuseppe said the field’s condition could incur future maintenance, or even replacement, costs after the A-Turf warranty expires in two years.
District officials said they were unsure of what those costs might be.
“The conversation we’ll have to have is what is our plan five years down the line if that field disintegrates and we’re left with crumb-rubber and sand,” Giuseppe told board members.
Giuseppe said A-Turf, the company that installed the field, has been responsive in meeting the district’s repair needs.
But after contacting other districts with the same surface, Giuseppe said other schools had similar problems, including a California school district that met with lawyers after its field was so worn down that it resembled a checkerboard.
In the instructional committee, board member Robert Sullivan asked that the district incorporate SAT prep into the daily curriculum.
He presented rankings of SAT and Pennsylvania System of School Assessment scores in Berks, Chester, Lancaster and Montgomery counties, obtained through the state Department of Education. Combining the percentages of students deemed proficient and advanced in PSSA math and reading, Sullivan said Twin Valley ranked 42nd out of the 67 districts in the four counties. On the SAT, Sullivan said the district ranked 49th.
Sullivan said he evaluated Twin Valley’s standing among the four counties because colleges use geographic quotas.
“This is a test we need to teach to,” Sullivan said, offering more multiple choice math questions as one example of SAT preparation.
The board and Dr. Robert F. Pleis, superintendent, agreed to further consider Sullivan’s recommendation in future meetings.
Board President Thomas Legel ended the meeting by announcing the resignation of Catherine Goetz, who won one of two Chester County seats where no candidates filed to run last year.
Goetz, who won with three write-in votes, will have to be replaced by someone from the borough or township of Honey Brook.
Pleis said the board never expected Goetz to be a permanent member, adding that she will be replaced through an interview process.
– By C. Ryan Barber