Laguna Beach High field to get a renovation
The synthetic field and track at Laguna Beach High School’s Guyer Field will soon receive a makeover.
Crews will begin ripping out the artificial turf and track May 16, part of a $2.3-milliion project that includes adding drains and installing a state-of-the-art LED scoreboard.
The Laguna Beach Unified School District board last week agreed to pay San Diego-based Byrom-Davey Inc. $780,540 to rip out the turf and track and dig spaces for electrical cables and drains.
Both the track and field are 12 years old and have exceeded their lifespans, district Facilities Director Jeff Dixon said.
One of the criticisms of the current field, and those like it, is that the infill that helps hold the artificial grass in place becomes “extremely hot” under the sun’s rays, Dixon said.
The mixture of sand and black rubber pellets conducts heat.
Another concern with the current field is the rubber pellets often float atop pooling water during and following a rain storm, Dixon said.
But Laguna Beach Unified will use a different infill, made up of clinoptilolite zeolite, a natural mineral.
Molecules in this kind of infill are arranged in lattice-like structures that hold moisture for longer periods of time, keeping the turf cooler.
Crews will also install a pad made of polypropylene underneath the field to absorb shocks of football or soccer players falling to the ground.
“I played on natural grass,” Dixon said of his football-playing days. “I hate playing on synthetic. But this is a more natural-grass feel.”
The track will receive an added rubber layer, while new drains will be placed under the field and along the perimeter of the track to catch water that funnels from other parts of campus.
Dixon hopes the added outlets will prevent flooding as has occurred following prior storms.
“Sounds like we’re getting the best of the best,” said LBHS football coach John Shanahan, who will embark on his first season as head coach this fall. “The technology is evolving dramatically. We’re super excited for it.”
The Breakers, which Shanahan said will sport new uniforms, will begin spring practice May 16 at Thurston Middle School.
Dixon hopes the work will be done by the end of July, well in time for the start of the regular season in September.
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Twitter: @AldertonBryce
