Montgomery County school officials want to install artificial turf at a handful of high school stadiums during the next decade, but those plans could be derailed by the massive upfront costs to modernize the playing fields.
Equipping a stadium with artificial turf would cost the county about $865,000, according to a new cost estimate by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, compared with $180,000 initially for a natural grass field.
But supporters point to reduced maintenance and more field use, saying the county would save money in the long run. When adjusted for expected revenue, the 10-year cost of artificial turn is about $170,000 less than for natural grass, according to M-NCPPC figures.
The turf is greener
High schools where Montgomery County plans to install artificial turf:
» Paint Branch: August 2013
» Gaithersburg: August 2014
» Wheaton: August 2016
» Seneca Valley: August 2017
» Wootton: August 2019
Finding the cash for the fields, however, will be challenging for a school system forced to rein in spending amid the county’s dire fiscal situation — which is not expected to improve in coming years. “We look at each thing individually,” said schools spokesman Dana Tofig, explaining that school officials would like to proceed with the fields in coming years. “It’s counterintuitive, but now is the time to build.”
The new fields would coincide with modernization efforts planned for the high schools over the next decade. Updated classrooms would take priority over athletic improvements, Tofig said.
The school system installed turf at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville in 2008 and completed construction of an artificial turn field at Bethesda’s Walter Johnson High School in May. A third is expected to be completed at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville by summer 2013.
The school system installed turf at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville in 2008 and completed construction of an artificial turn field at Bethesda’s Walter Johnson High School in May. A third is expected to be completed at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville by summer 2013.
Private partners who contributed upfront money in exchange for using the facilities augmented the six-figure investment.
Artificial turf is becoming increasingly popular in the Washington area. There are 12 facilities, most of them private schools, with artificial turf in the county and four more under construction. Artificial turf will be unveiled at Fairland Regional Park in October.
A Montgomery County Council committee Thursday will hold a hearing on the environmental effects of artificial turf. Some parents contend the playing surface increases exposure to harmful chemicals, damages water quality and heightens injury risk.
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