Stadium likely won't get new turf this season
By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer
Even with the NFL willing to help financially and representatives of another turf eager to offer a significant discount, it likely will be at least another year before a new artificial surface is installed at Aloha Stadium.
Proponents of changing the 3-year-old AstroTurf had hoped to have either FieldTurf or AstroPlay installed before August, when high schools and the University of Hawai'i begin football play.
Because the high schools and UH will use the stadium into early December and the Hawai'i Bowl is scheduled for Christmas Day, followed by the Pro Bowl in February, it would be sometime next year — at the earliest — before a new surface could be installed.
The field at Aloha Stadium has become a tug-of-war matching the NFL, UH and makers of FieldTurf on one side with the Aloha Stadium Authority on the other.
The contract between the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and the NFL includes a provision relating to the possibility of changing the AstroTurf.
But a study by Fukunaga & Associates, an engineering consultant commissioned by the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, concluded that the present surface "seems to be in good shape at this point" and recommended that the stadium consider alternatives "the next time around, two years or so" before changing the current surface.
"The AstroTurf installed at the Aloha Stadium is relatively new. It cost taxpayers $2.4 million and has five years left on its warranty," said Larry Price, chairman of the Aloha Stadium Authority.
"What are the compelling reasons to rush in and rip out a 2 1/2-year-old surface? Is it to keep the NFL happy? Is it the sales pitch of a field turf company looking for new business? As far as the Stadium Authority is concerned, those reasons certainly are not good enough."
But both the NFL and UH's best drawing card, Brigham Young University, have said they consider changes to the playing surface crucial to their return.
"We had so many injuries that our president said we won't go back there until they put in a new turf," BYU coach Gary Crowton said in March, three months after the Cougars said they suffered 18 turf-related injuries in a 72-45 loss to UH at Aloha Stadium.
BYU was scheduled to return to Honolulu in 2004.
Earlier this month, Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, wrote in a letter to the Stadium Authority: "While the NFLPA supports keeping the Pro Bowl game in Honolulu, we must insist that field conditions are improved upon. ... I strongly urge you to see to it that this issue is taken care of in a timely fashion."
Hawai'i was supposed to begin exploring the option in 2000 as part of its five-year, $20 million deal with the NFL to play host to the Pro Bowl. The surface should have been replaced by January, 2002, according to Mark Rolfing, the former Hawaii Tourism Authority events chairman who negotiated the original NFL contract.
As part of that deal, the state agreed to use "best efforts" to replace AstroTurf with real grass, as the NFL wanted, or some mutually acceptable alternative such as FieldTurf.
AstroTurf, the surface currently installed in Aloha Stadium, is a woven nylon-fiber carpet laid over a pad. The reason it was chosen over FieldTurf in 1999 is because AstroTurf had long been considered the premier synthetic playing surface, while FieldTurf was evolving, according to the study by Fukunaga & Associates. But the study also said AstroTurf lacks cushioning capability and non-forgiving traction, which has been blamed for the cause of athletic injuries.
FieldTurf is an artificial grass product that uses layers of sand and rubber infill. Polyethylene fibers that simulate grass blades are woven into a backing. Recycled tires and sneakers partly comprise the rubber infill.
Other multi-purpose venues considering FieldTurf include the Houston Astrodome, Toronto Skydome, New Orleans Superdome and Montreal's Olympic Stadium.
The NFL said it is willing to help change the surface to help ensure the safety of its players.
"I've said all along that we will participate (financially)," said Jim Steeg, senior vice president of special events for the NFL.
"If we were truly to say we want a long-term relationship with the NFL, we could probably make a really good deal on this," said Rolfing. "There is no question in my mind that this will cost the state of Hawai'i less than half a million dollars."
However, the study by Fukunaga & Associates, Inc. released in March revealed that replacing the surface is a complicated matter that could cost an additional $1 million to $2 million.
"Based on information received, it is obvious that the installation of FieldTurf, or another 'infill surface' is not just a matter of 'changing the carpet,' " the study said. "Fairly substantial work will be required to accommodate the thickness difference between FieldTurf, the warning track surfacing, the perimeter trench drain area and the concrete conversion runways."
But Tau Harrington, sports events consultant for the tourism authority, said FieldTurf subsequently addressed those concerns in an on-site meeting earlier this month and, in a letter to tourism authority executive director Rick Humphreys, estimated the total cost to replace the AstroTurf at $877,000.
"There's no question it's discounted," said Humphreys, referring to earlier estimates in the million dollar range.
"The final price is going to be dependent on all the parties involved," said Harrington, who added that the turf study was likely outdated because of "significant advancement in technology."
The NFL's Steeg, who recently spoke with FieldTurf officials, said: "They feel pretty positive right now that they can get it done."
The stadium authority's Price isn't as optimistic.
"The field at the Aloha Stadium is not just used for the Pro bowl or UH football games. It is used for concerts, high school football, baseball and other events that need a venue with the size and capacity of the stadium," he said in a statement.
"It is a multi-use facility. The kind of field surface we have must be able to best accommodate the needs of all of these events, and be able to hold up to this broad array of traffic."
