After ten years of wear and tear use, the turf has seen its time. Suggestions, discussions, and speculations of replacing the turf have been circulating during recent months. The Board of Education has officially announced the replacement of the turf.
The Somerset Hills Board of Education confirmed in their August 2022 meeting that within the facilities goals for the 2022-2023 school year, they plan to reimagine the BMS Media Center, replace the Olcott Field turf, and develop a plan to support the replacement of the BHS track.
Students and faculty are looking forward to the revamp of the Olcott Field. The large quantity of sports and school events that take place on the field has generated much anticipation, and the school has shared their plans for the construction.
Mr. Hoppe, athletic director, stated that the school plans to soon add the new turf to the highschool over the summer following the 2022-2023 school year.
According to the Board of Education February meeting, bid responses for the field replacement were due February 16, 2023. Any potential vendors would present their costs to the Board of Education at this point in time. The final bids presented were $890,907 from the Athletic Fields of America and $1,098,000 from The LandTek Group, Inc.
The SHSD Board of Education accepted the proposal for the replacement from Athletic Fields of America for a total bid price of $933,144, with the alternate of $42,237.
On February 16, the school will officially begin its plans of new turf reconstruction. The school and architects will be working closely with the Athletic Fields of America, a group that the district has worked with ample times in the past.
According to Keystone Sports Construction, a typical turf field is guaranteed for athletic use for at least 8 years, but a field can last ten years on average with proper maintenance and a high-quality surface at most.
The BHS Olcott Field Turf was installed in 2009, meaning the turf is over 13 years old. The field exceeded the warranty from the last install, and the school has been able to extend its life by using it exclusively for BHS sports.
“We got a lot more years out of it because we just used it for high school,” said Mr. Hoppe. “[the turf] didn’t fail the safety standards, but we didn’t want it to get to that point.”
The turf now is seeing replacement due to the state that it is in. The turf is currently seeing normal signs of wear and tear, where there’s compacted rubber and flattened grass. The highschool and the district decided to prevent the turf from being unusable by being proactive and replacing it just before needed.
Students have voiced their excitement about the upcoming construction. Courtney Davis ‘24 says that she’s looking forward to the revitalization of the Olcott turf, saying, “It will be just in time for my senior year; [the turf] will finally be more comfortable to run on and I can’t wait to play my last few games on it.”
Construction of the new turf is starting the day after the Class of 2023’s graduation. If all goes to plan, construction should be completed by the end of July, right before the start of the fall 2023 season.
The turf is being replaced this summer, and the track soon to follow it. The track is less of an urgent matter, so the school plans to replace one at a time, repairing and replacing the track after the completion of the new turf.
