A roughly $2 million multiuse field in the Allegheny Valley School District could be ready this fall, if plans are approved by the school board next week.
School directors Tuesday will consider an agreement with FieldTurf USA Inc. for the artificial turf project of the soccer/football field at Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School.
The total estimated construction cost is just under $2 million, according to Hamsini Rajgopal, Allegheny Valley business manager. The project is earmarked in the district’s capital project funds.
Connor Schlegel, regional sales manager for FieldTurf, said the proposed Springdale field would be designed for football and soccer and would include a new track.
FieldTurf has worked on 25,000 fields worldwide, including NFL and Major League Soccer fields, he said. Local high school fields that the company has renovated include Penn Hills, Seneca Valley, Aliquippa and Beaver Area.
For decades, Dynamo football was played at Veterans Memorial Field on Lincoln Avenue in Springdale.
The school district in October 2022 terminated its lease with Springdale Borough and, last fall, the high school football team played all of its games outside the district.
Both boys and girls soccer teams play at the field across from the high school, off Butler Road. District officials have said the soccer field is in poor condition and is in need of maintenance.
The school board, in November, hired FieldTurf USA for roughly $20,000 to do professional design and engineering services related to the field project, which included surveying, water infiltration and soil testing.
Schlegel said Tuesday the soil tests show that water saturation on the field is an issue. The proposal calls for a small reservoir next to the field to collect and push water away from the field and track.
“It’s just a little bit of a different design,” he said. “It’s nothing we’ve never done before.”
Last month, the board paid FieldTurf $55,000 for field drawings and permitting. No other issues were noted, and initial permitting and conservation clearances have gone well, Schlegel said.
If the approvals move forward, Schlegel estimated a construction start date at the end of June, with a projected end date of Aug. 29, though the track may not be completely installed until next spring.
“There also is a potential where the track is finished, as well,” he said. “The field will be done, the asphalt will be done; the track surface has cure time.”
It takes about 28 days to cure the base for a track. Springdale’s track and field season this spring will all be away because the track is not in adequate condition.
Schlegel said turf fields, compared to grass, are more weatherproof and consistent for student-athletes.
Asked about longevity of the project, he said the field likely would not need to be replaced for at least 12 years. Replacement costs are about $500,000.
