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A new artificial turf at Badger Stadium is going to cost $789,000 more than what was originally pitched to the school board.
After much discussion Tuesday the Arkadelphia Board of Education voted unanimously on a change order that will allow the Texas-based Hellas Construction to remove the existing sub-grade and drainage that was installed in 2014 by the original contractors, GeoSurfaces.
Tuesday’s decision puts the project at $1.6 million.
A project manager for Hellas explained to the school board that removing the current turf unearthed a swath of issues relating to drainage and stability beneath the turf.
Showing school board members a PowerPoint presentation with photographs of the findings, Hellas’ Joshua Fleming pointed out sinkholes, a deteriorated drain mat, rotted 2x4s that were used as nailers, and collapsed drain pipes the previous company had installed. It had also used plywood to cover 12 grated drains on the edges of the original grass field.
Drainage at the field has been an ongoing problem, explained Jimmy King, director of support services for Arkadelphia Public Schools. King said he has been on the field in ankle-deep water after heavy rains. With the collapsed 8” drainpipes and the covered grated drains, storm water “has nowhere to go,” he said.
Last month the school board gave its nod to spend $856,000 on a new turf, but no one was aware of what was causing the drainage issues until some digging was done.
Hellas’ proposal was to remove what GeoSurfaces had installed and build the sub-grade from scratch, to their standards. The extra work entails stabilizing the subsurface with cement, increasing the drainpipe sizes to 15”, adding the stone drainage system and a proper outflow before installing their patented Cushdrain below the turf.
Their drain system carries a 25-year warranty and has a 40-year life expectancy; the turf carries an 8-year warranty and a 12-year life expectancy. Hellas installs artificial turf for stadiums across the nation, and has installed and maintained turf for NFL teams, according to King.
CLICK HERE to read more of this article at The Arkadelphian.
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