Bombers touch down on new $1M turf field

BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

SAYREVILLE - A Sept. 29 football game at the War Memorial High School amounted to more than a 21-20 victory over Woodbridge High School.

It ushered in a new era for the Bombers, thanks to a state-of-the-art synthetic playing field used for the first time that night.

The $1.1 million artificial field at the high school uses material from FieldTurf, which manufactures the durable, low-maintenance surface in Dalton, Ga.

The field is part of a $47 million renovation project at the 44-year-old high school.

Board of Education member Curtis Clark told the Suburban that in addition to the high school football team using the field, the soccer and field hockey teams as well as the marching band practice on the surface.

Board President Michael Macagnone said at a recent meeting that the field was initially scheduled to be ready by early September but was delayed due to the finding of unstable soil. As a result, the football team played two scheduled home games away. However, the team will in turn get to play two more games at home next year, Macagnone said.

"When all is said and done, we have a state-of-the-art field," Macagnone said. "All we did was get that field done right and mitigate any risk of injury."

The bid for the project was challenged, he added, which led to a two-week delay in the project.

"With the bid challenged, we lost two weeks with the legal process, and we were already on an aggressive schedule. Nobody on the board was happy about the delay, but it not uncommon with construction," Macagnone said.

The school district chose FieldTurf's product after doing extensive research on grass alternatives, Macagnone said, adding that the school's former grass field required constant grading, fertilization and irrigation work.

The turf eliminates such maintenance costs, the board president said. The surface drains efficiently, and the playing field is composed of rubber and sand to reduce injury for the players.

According to information provided by FieldTurf, 21 of the NFL's 32 teams use their product in stadiums or on practice fields. These locations include Giants Stadium in East Rutherford and Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway.

Among the high schools using the product are Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco Prep, Pope John XXIII and St. Peter's Prep.

"The bottom line is that we have a state-of-the-art field that the taxpayers only paid $1 million for," Macagnone said last week, noting that the team was 4-0 "and we are looking forward to a good season."

The Bombers lost at Piscataway Friday, moving to 4-1. The team plays its last scheduled home game tomorrow against Edison.