HOUCK STADIUM TAKES ON NEW LOOK; SYNTHETIC TURF BEING INSTALLED

By noon today, the grass and a few inches of sod will be missing from Southeast Missouri State University's football field.

The look of the Houck Stadium field will change over the next month in preparation for a bed to support the FieldTurf brand of synthetic grass to be installed by Vibra-Whirl of Panhandle, Texas.

Nip Kelly Construction Co., a subcontractor on the project, started removing the grass Monday and is expected to complete that task today.

The bed will average about 18 inches in depth, said Jim Gundlach, an engineer overseeing the project for Vibra-Whirl.

The new turf also will change the crown of the field, lowering the middle of the field to about 9 inches. Currently the crown is about 2 feet.

Once the bed is ready, a special drainage system will be installed along with about 6 inches of crushed rock.

The new turf will be placed on a mixture of rubber and silica. The sod will be placed in 70-by-15-foot strips. The old field is 50 feet wide. The added width will permit soccer, said Tom Morris of the facilities management department of the university.

"We hope to start laying the carpet in 35 to 40 days," said Gundlach. "The entire project could be completed by June 1."

Cost of project is about $750,000, and school officials say it will be a winning move.

"The turf improvements will provide an opportunity to use the stadium for a number of activities -- football, soccer, band contests, performances and other events -- without concern about weather or damage to the surface," said Don Kaverman, director of athletics at the university.

"We feel we did our homework on this synthetic grass system," said Kaverman, adding that with the drainage system it can withstand heavy rains without damage. "It can handle up to 10 inches of rain an hour. It's state of the art. In three to four months we'll be looking at a beautiful field."

Private donors have generated more than $300,000 toward the cost.

The new turf is almost maintenance free, said Gundlach. "You have to brush it a couple times a year."

Kaverman said the synthetic grass could save the university up to $20,000 a year in maintenance costs. "You don't have to mow it and you don't have to water it," he pointed out.

That is a savings of about a $250,000 over the expected life of the artificial grass.

The artificial grass is guaranteed for eight years. "But it has a life of about 12 to 15 years," said Gundlach.