Posted at 12:16 p.m., Thursday, June 13, 2002
Stadium authority approves new turf
Advertiser Staff
The Aloha Stadium Authority today conditionally approved a contract with FieldTurf as a replacement to the 3-year-old AstroTurf in Aloha Stadium.The Stadium Authority said it will agree to the deal, providing it meets state procurement laws, that no event is canceled because of installation time, the authority bears no cost for installation, and the installation be completed by Aug. 2.
The Aloha Stadium playing surface has been a point of controversy because its replacement to grass or an acceptable artificial alternative was part of a deal reached in 2000 between the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and the NFL's Pro Bowl.
The NFL said that if the surface was not replaced by the 2003 Pro Bowl, the league would take its annual all-star football game, played in Honolulu since 1980, elsewhere.
On May 30, the Hawai'i Tourism Authority unanimously approved paying up to $500,000 to install FieldTurf, an artificial, grasslike material.
The NFL also said it will help financially.
FieldTurf is still estimating the cost at $877,000, which now includes not only the installation and maintenance of the turf, but the preparation to the field prior to installation.
FieldTurf representatives said that if the turf was installed properly, meaning work would be done on the field base, the job would not be done by the start of the high school football season in mid-August.
"If you want the base re-done, it's impossible given the time frame," said FieldTurf CEO John Gilman. the only option to have the turf ready by mid-August is to not shave the crown of the field. The cost of preparing the field and installing the turf will be the responsibility of FieldTurf.
FieldTurf said it is willing to replace just the stadium's football field, finishing the rest of the surface at the Halawa facility after the 2003 Pro Bowl next year.
FieldTurf representatives said today that for the turf to be installed properly, meaning work would be done on the field base, the job would not be done by the start of the high school football season in mid-August.
"If you want the base re-done, it's impossible given the time frame," said FieldTurf CEO John Gilman.
The only option to have the turf ready by mid-August is to not shave the crown of the field. The cost of preparing the field and installing the turf will be the responsibility of FieldTurf.
