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PITTSBURG —
When football season rolls around, Pittsburg State University’s Gorillas are going to be scoring touchdowns on a new, stylish Brandenburg Field.
Workers are getting ever closer to completing the new, brightly colored MondoTurf field. They removed the 10-year-old faded turf, which weighs nine pounds per square foot full of sand and rubber “infill,” in June.
The process wasn’t easy. First, crews used an industrial-strength vacuum mounted on the back of a tractor to suck up about 90 percent of the filler. The turf then had to be cut into strips that are about 15 feet wide and about 80 feet long, or about half the width of the field, and rolled up like carpet and removed. When the removal process was done, the crews used a machine to filter and separate the sand from the rubber, which will be redistributed over the new turf.
The process of replacing the turf will cost about $500,000 and is funded entirely by private gifts. Fans have purchased the original Gus logo from midfield and the PITT from PITTSTATE in the north endzone.
Additionally, electrical conduit is being placed around the field to create modern access for high definition TVs, speakers, and fans and heaters for the players and others.
Tom Barta, who is the Kansas City representative for Xtreme Turf Makeover, the company that is subcontracting for the field removal, said that if the turf is properly cared for, it should last a long time.
“The typical life is about 12 years,” Barta said.
Crews from Kiefer Specialty Flooring began installing the new turf, which will feature black end zones and red team areas next to the sidelines, last week. For the lettering, center logo and hash marks, they use heavy-duty trimmers to cut the design out of the turf before gluing down the patterns.
“We need to be precise in our cuts,” said foreman Mike Baxter. “All the lines will be turf. There’s no need for paint.”
Baxter said he didn’t know, and didn’t want to know, how much the new turf weighs, but said he knows it’s lighter than the old Field Turf.
“It’s actually really nice to work with,” he said.
Once that process is complete, the last step is to install the infill, of which about 60 percent will be recycled from the old turf.
When football season rolls around, Pittsburg State University’s Gorillas are going to be scoring touchdowns on a new, stylish Brandenburg Field.
Workers are getting ever closer to completing the new, brightly colored MondoTurf field. They removed the 10-year-old faded turf, which weighs nine pounds per square foot full of sand and rubber “infill,” in June.
The process wasn’t easy. First, crews used an industrial-strength vacuum mounted on the back of a tractor to suck up about 90 percent of the filler. The turf then had to be cut into strips that are about 15 feet wide and about 80 feet long, or about half the width of the field, and rolled up like carpet and removed. When the removal process was done, the crews used a machine to filter and separate the sand from the rubber, which will be redistributed over the new turf.
The process of replacing the turf will cost about $500,000 and is funded entirely by private gifts. Fans have purchased the original Gus logo from midfield and the PITT from PITTSTATE in the north endzone.
Additionally, electrical conduit is being placed around the field to create modern access for high definition TVs, speakers, and fans and heaters for the players and others.
Tom Barta, who is the Kansas City representative for Xtreme Turf Makeover, the company that is subcontracting for the field removal, said that if the turf is properly cared for, it should last a long time.
“The typical life is about 12 years,” Barta said.
Crews from Kiefer Specialty Flooring began installing the new turf, which will feature black end zones and red team areas next to the sidelines, last week. For the lettering, center logo and hash marks, they use heavy-duty trimmers to cut the design out of the turf before gluing down the patterns.
“We need to be precise in our cuts,” said foreman Mike Baxter. “All the lines will be turf. There’s no need for paint.”
Baxter said he didn’t know, and didn’t want to know, how much the new turf weighs, but said he knows it’s lighter than the old Field Turf.
“It’s actually really nice to work with,” he said.
Once that process is complete, the last step is to install the infill, of which about 60 percent will be recycled from the old turf.
