TigerTurf installation begins at Elgin

As the 2009-10 football season approaches, work continues on the Elgin Wildcat football field.

Presently workers are injecting a chemical to stabilize the soil there, which is very unstable. "This is an extremely difficult but necessary process for artificial turf. It has to be stabilized so that it will not shift more than one inch," said Superintendent Bill Graves.

If the soil shifts, it will be very noticeable and school officials are concerned about the major issue.

"It takes four weeks to inject down to 15 feet below the surface. It then has to be tested. Workers will drill to take core samples down to 15 feet.

"The chemical will take on a hard surface, almost like concrete. If it doesn't test right, they will go back to areas that do not have the proper results," Graves explained.

Graves stated that workers are two weeks into the injection and testing process. The entire procedure takes four weeks. There are various other components of preparing the lower field, including drainage lines and rocks, Graves said.

After the stabilization process, a chemical cap will be put on top. Graves said it was not concrete, but will be harder than the sub-surface.

The artificial turf installation will move fairly rapidly, Graves said. The Elgin field will have the same TigerTurf as fields in Bastrop and Manor.

The track around the football field is currently being resurfaced. Graves stated that it was very important to spray the surface to avoid deterioration. He said that it has not been resurfaced since it was installed about six years ago.

Owners Building Resource Project Director Mark Law told School Board members that the athletic field's project finish date is August 21.

Athletes will have pre-season workouts on the band practice field and have several other options of fields for two-a-days when those begin. Weather and test results could cause delays, however Graves stated that the project has two or three weeks leeway built in.

Elgin Courier story