Debate continues over the type of playing surface at the Founders Park ballfield, as some experts weighed in during a recent public meeting in Islamorada.
Monroe County School District officials are backing the use of synthetic turf, a manufactured product using synthetic fibers that mimic the aesthetic look of natural grass, on any future field improvements they undertake, including the field at Founders Park. The district uses the field for the Coral Shores High School baseball program via an agreement with Islamorada, which owns the field. The district is planning to spend more than $5 million on improvements to the field, as well as new amenities like a two-story building behind home plate for a press box, concessions and restroom.
But the village, and ultimately the five council members, will have a say over the improvements, notably whether players will be fielding ground balls and pop flies on natural grass or an artificial surface.
A task force formed several months ago by Village Manager Ron Saunders convened recently to get an update on the latest proposal for ballfield improvements by the school district. Saunders mentioned his effort to eliminate a new multiuse building — in a bid to reduce project costs — was met with support by school board members. School district officials were originally proposing a 1,950-square-foot building with a player locker room, restroom and spaces for coaches and umpires attached to a new dugout.
Instead, school district officials will be looking to renovate an existing facility at the end of the third-base line.
In a bid to gain a little more clarity and information on artificial turf, Saunders invited Marco Schiavon, University of Florida assistant professor of environmental horticulture and turfgrass science, and Wes Allen, regional sales manager with Florida AstroTurf to present various aspects.
Schiavon and his team studied artificial turf fields in California and found they were watered just to make them usable during the summer. Schiavon acknowledged a lot of his work and research comes from fields in California, but not a lot of data has been collected on playing surfaces in Florida.
“In South Florida, do I see or believe we’d see the same magnitude seen in California? No, the temperature difference would be reduced because we’re in a high precipitation state. It wouldn’t warm as much; however, I will point out at least here in Fort Lauderdale we had a brutally dry summer, at least at the beginning,” Schiavon said.
In a study by UF professors, average surface temperatures of natural grass are as much as 70 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than a dormant brown lawn and 100 degrees cooler than a synthetic turf surface. One professor found a synthetic turf field reached 160 degrees.
And while designed to imitate the look of natural grass, the UF professors say, synthetic turf fails to provide any ecosystem benefits. And savings on water are in question as fields are sprayed to cool them in times of intense heat.
Allen said his AstroTurf company installed artificial playing surfaces at places like the University of Florida, Camping World Stadium in Orlando and the athletic fields in Key West, to name a few. He noted artificial turf has evolved similarly to the way iPhones have over the past 10 to 15 years.
In his remarks, Allen said AstroTurf supplied the summer Olympics in France with a zero-emission turf with GT-B series. It’s 11% biobased and reduces reliance on petroleum products. The surface is also durable and improves drainage and player safety, he said.
“We have a USDA-friendly product that is recyclable,” Allen said. “That is a huge thing coming up in the turf industry right now.
“What we’re starting to see in our industry is people want greener turf, more environmentally- friendly turf, safer turf and recyclable turf,” he said.
Typical turf products use polyethylene, but Allen said his company switched to soybean-based backing. And instead of rubber pellets, AstroTurf uses sand and brockfill, or a sustainable, organic infill for artificial turf made from engineered wood particles.
As for water collection, Allen said the AstroTurf product allows water to drain through the artificial turf, through the backing, a pad, sand and stone. He also noted that several fields they installed have collection systems containing pipes that send water to a management facility onsite.
“If you play on turf, you want it to play like a natural field because you want kids who are using that field to use it and to be able to participate the same way they would if it were a grass field,” Allen said.
Sandi Bisceglia, former Plantation Key School principal who lives across the street from the park, wondered how the mahogany trees located next to the field would still get water, if artificial turf were installed on the Founders ballfield. Allen answered that he wasn’t an engineer and didn’t have a hydrologic analysis of the site or dirt. Saunders said it’s a good point to bring to the school district as discussions continue.
The nearly four-hour meeting also dug into license and use agreements between the village and school district for use of the field. The use agreement is tied to the Coral Shores baseball schedule, and gives the team use of the Founders ballfield from January to roughly May. However, a proposed use agreement could give the village use during that period by checking with the school district.
Outside of baseball season, the village would have priority to use the field. The school district, however, could come to village officials and ask for use of the ballfield.
Ed Davidson, a former school board member, has long stated his opposition to the process in which the planned improvements came to be, as well as the increased use of the field by sports programs other than baseball. He also noted the use and license agreements allow for “dramatic intensification” of use of the ballfield that was never intended in the last 24 years.
Several task force members believed another survey related to the ballfield improvements was necessary to get residents’ thoughts. Jamie Engel proposed a five-question, unbiased survey for residents to answer in a 30-day period. Richard Black proposed that each of the five task force members come up with two questions each, for a total of 10, for the public to answer in a two-week period. Alina Davis liked Black’s idea, but thought it should run for a month.
To date, no new survey has been released related to the ballfield improvements.
In recent months, school board members gave several approvals to the design for the Founders ballfield improvements. Pat Lefere, school district executive director of operations, told members during an October meeting the delivery of construction documents would be the next phase set to take place in March. Approvals from the village council, however, will be needed before any improvements proceed at the Founders Park ballfield.
