Tremendous progress has occurred since our last update, 17 May, on the projects to enhance the football practice and game fields at Purdue University. These have been exciting times for all those associated with the Turf program as we have been able to witness three different turf renovation projects all occurring simultaneously. It has truly been a great opportunity to see modern construction and renovation techniques in action.
The South Practice Field
The Qwik-Drain system (a series of 2” diameter perforated drainage lines running east/west and sand trenches running north/south) was installed over Memorial Day weekend. The final grade of this nearly flat field was established using laser grading technology and a new and improved irrigation system was installed. Once everything was in place irrigation heads were double checked for functionality and to remove any debris that might keep them from properly operating. All that remains is grassing which will occur after the Ross-Ade stadium is grassing project is completed.
Ross-Ade Stadium
Soil preparations for grassing continued on the sand-based P.A.T. system field in Ross-Ade stadium. Some of the major steps included a final tilling of the rootzone to homogenize any remaining organic matter throughout the upper portion of the rootzone. This was followed by laser grading, and raking. All that remains is to grass the field with ‘Patriot’ bermudagrass which will start the week of 5 June.
Mollenkopf Indoor Practice Facility
Work was completed very quickly on the Mollenkopf indoor practice facility. The old school Astro-Turf material was painstakingly removed and rolled up for another life at some undetermined location. Once the old field was removed, contractors installed the new FieldTurf monofilament field in about a week. Sections of the new field were laid out very precisely and sewn together using a giant sewing machine. I was very impressed with all of the detail work that went into the whole process. This was especially true for the lettering in the end zone and the logos located throughout the other areas of the field. It was an interesting process to observe as workers sheared out the areas for the logos and yardage markers and then glued them in place using epoxy glue heated to about 350 degree directly onto the backing for the FieldTurf.
This synthetic field lays directly upon the asphalt sub-grade but the areas between the fibers is “filled” with approximately 9 lbs. of infill material (a combination of crumb rubber and a precisely sized sand) per square foot. This amounts to about a 2-2 1/2 inch layer of material and the weight of material is what actually holds the field to the floor and protects the athletes. The in-fill topdressing material was applied using traditional topdressing equipment and brushed into the monofilament fibers using a sweeper machine. The entire project wrapped up on Saturday and the football team has already been conducting off-season strength training exercises on the field.
We are very fortunate to have worked so closely with Intercollegiate Athletics, our sports field manager, Al Capitos, and the ability to have ask questions and take photographs afforded by the sub-contractors throughout the process (Thank you!!!). Stay tuned for future updates once the bermudagrass is installed.
