New turf rolls in
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By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
Work crews covered the surface of Aloha Stadium's football field with a new synthetic grass this week, and the entire installation is expected to be completed by June 12, according to a turf installer.
• First scheduled event: 'Aiea High School graduation, May 24 • First sporting event: High school football, Father Bray Classic, Aug. 24 • First UH football game: Hawai'i vs. Appalachian State, Aug. 30
The FieldTurf surface — in which blade-like material is stabilized by sand-and-rubber infill — replaces the stadium's AstroTurf.
First to the field
The $1.3 million installation was scheduled to be completed by May 24, but work on the drainage system and cement perimeter took about a week longer than expected, FieldTurf installer Pierre Alary said.
The delay will not affect the 'Aiea High School graduation on May 24 at Aloha Stadium, stadium manager Eddie Hayashi said. The stadium will be covered by the grass-like surface and will be ready for 'Aiea's commencement as well as the graduation ceremonies of Campbell High School (May 30) and Pearl City High School (May 31), he said.
The first athletic event to be played on the new turf will be the high school football Father Bray Classic on Aug. 24.
Work crews tomorrow will begin covering the stadium's baseball outfield with FieldTurf and should be finished by Tuesday, Alary said. Detail work around the field will take between 10 and 11 days, and the sand-and-rubber infill process will take about five days.
"We're hoping to finish between June 6-12," Alary said. "It's going very well. We're happy with the progress with the project."
Aloha Stadium's new turf will have a similar feel and composition as the third-best-rated field in the National Football League, Seahawks Stadium, according to a FieldTurf installation representative.
Replacing Aloha Stadium's AstroTurf surface was a key issue in keeping the NFL Pro Bowl in Hawai'i. The NFL prefers natural grass or FieldTurf because its players have complained about injuries suffered on AstroTurf. The replacement turf was part of a contract in 2000 between the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and the Pro Bowl to keep the annual all-star game here.
University of Hawai'i football coach June Jones has advocated a new playing surface at Aloha Stadium, saying that AstroTurf sometimes caused turf burns.
"June Jones will be satisfied with the field, and then some," said George Toma, a renowned NFL grass consultant who has agreed to help with the project. "This field will be great."
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Photos by Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Left, a section of field turf lies over a foundation of plastic tiles. The plastic tiles are 5/8 of an inch high and help with drainage. Right, rolls of field turf await installation at Aloha Stadium. The rolls are 15 feet wide and 280 feet long, and are hand-sewn together.
A section of field turf is "fluffed" before being flipped right side up and spread over the plastic tiles.
Field turf installer Pierre Alary, left, sews together sections of turf while other members of the installation crew pull it tight.
