HTA approves funding for stadium FieldTurf
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Hawai'i Tourism Authority yesterday unanimously approved paying up to $500,000 to replace the playing surface at Aloha Stadium with FieldTurf, an artificial, grasslike material.
The National Football League, which said it would help pay for the cost of installation, will accept only FieldTurf as a replacement for the 3-year-old AstroTurf.
Should the state not change the field by the 2003 Pro Bowl, the NFL has threatened to take its annual all-star football game, which has been played in Honolulu since 1980, elsewhere.
"I don't think we should take their threats lightly," said HTA interim executive director Rick Humphries.
According to a five-year, $22 million contract brokered in 1999, the playing surface was supposed to have been changed for the 2002 Pro Bowl. If FieldTurf is to be ready in time for the next Pro Bowl, it must be installed by mid-August before the start of the high school and University of Hawai'i football seasons.
FieldTurf CEO John Gilman has assured the state that the turf can be installed in about two weeks, pending weather conditions. That doesn't include the time it would take to prepare the field for the new playing surface.
"If we don't do it by then, it won't be ready for the Pro Bowl in February — and the NFL wants it changed," Humphries said.
FieldTurf officials have estimated the cost to install its product at $877,000 — a discount of about $100,000-$150,000 — with the balance to be paid by the NFL, Humphries said.
HTA's portion comes from existing money in the current fiscal year, some from canceled events. The tourism authority said it is not taking money away from other programs or contracts to pay for the turf change.
The Aloha Stadium Authority, which has the final say on the matter, will meet today to decide whether to replace the AstroTurf and discuss the conditions under which the change could be made at the 27-year-old stadium.
"This is not a done deal," Humphries said. "Not until the ink is dry ... But I'm optimistic."
The NFL named only FieldTurf as an alternative to natural grass. Other similar products, such as AstroPlay and NextTurf, are not options although an AstroTurf representative told The Advertiser his company was willing to install AstroPlay at a reduced cost.
Putting in natural grass on a per-game basis is still an option, Humphries said, though an expensive one. He said estimates to install grass are between $200,000 and $500,000 per game.
Because the HTA is exempt from the state's bidding and procurement requirements, it can award the contract to FieldTurf without having to consider other options.
The Stadium Authority was not involved in deciding the terms of the contract between the HTA and the NFL, though its facility has been affected. Authority chairman Larry Price has been vocal in his opposition to replacing the current AstroTurf, citing its relative newness, $2.4 million price tag and the five years of warranty that remains.
The HTA agreed to the turf change to accommodate the NFL, whose players have been concerned about sustaining injuries while playing on the AstroTurf. (Brigham Young University also complained about the AstroTurf, claiming it caused 16 injuries in a Dec. 8 loss to the University of Hawai'i.)
AstroTurf officials have denied the link between its turf and injuries, saying there is no evidence AstroTurf is more dangerous than comparable surfaces.
But the HTA feels it must honor its agreement with the NFL to exercise "best efforts" to replace the current playing surface, pointing to the marketing and branding benefits of staging the Pro Bowl.
"We need to continue to have a strong marketing vehicle like the NFL," said Tau Harrington, sports events consultant for HTA. "If the turf is not replaced, the state will lose a major media event."
According to the tourism authority, approximately 16,000 visitors came to Hawai'i in February specifically to attend the Pro Bowl, which boasts an average of between 7 million and 13 million viewers each year.
The state paid the league $4.75 million this year for the opportunity to play host to the game. According to the five-year contract, the state will pay more each year, bringing the price to $5.5 million by 2005.
Earlier this month, Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, wrote to the Stadium Authority, saying "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."
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. The infill, which provides a cushion, is made primarily from recycled tires and sneakers.
When negotiations started last year, Gilman said the carpet was cut to fit the field at Aloha Stadium. Rolls of the synthetic, grasslike turf are waiting in a warehouse in Atlanta.
