(WESTON, Massachusetts) – The community of Weston High School, located in a residential suburb just west of Boston, showed up big when it came to the decision to improve some of the school’s athletic facilities.
“Synthetic turf was a topic of conversation for many years leading up to our construction, and with most schools and facilities moving towards synthetic turf, we decided to move in that direction as well,” said Michael McGrath, Director of Athletics for Weston Public Schools. “Over the years our natural grass field, which is used for football, lacrosse and soccer, had begun to wear to the point where a synthetic turf was our best solution to ensure our student athletes and youth teams would have the very best surface to play,” said McGrath.
Having a synthetic turf playing field over a natural grass field opens a world of opportunity for athletic teams like the Weston Wildcats. With benefits like increased play time and a safer playing surface, teams are able to put in more time working on essential skills.
“The addition of this new turf field will allow us to use Proctor Field on average 30% more, based on the fact that weather and field conditions will no longer be an issue. More teams will have an opportunity to practice/play even when the weather is not cooperating. It will also allow us to get outside earlier in the spring,” said McGrath.
As part of the Weston High School Athletic Complex project, the school installed 91,583 square feet of Shaw Sport Turf’s Legion HP 2.0 synthetic turf. Legion is a combination of high-performance monofilament fibers and durable slit film fibers. The slit film fiber is a workhorse which provides durability and decreased infill flyout, while the monofilament provides a more resilient surface that enhances performance characteristics.
The formerly natural grass playing surface at Proctor Field as well as the school’s only existing synthetic turf field now featuring Shaw Sports Turf. The new synthetic turf fields will be used for football, boys and girls lacrosse, boys and girls soccer, and field hockey.
Other elements of this renovation included added walkways, benches, a concession building, netting behind the end zones, and added jumping pits to the track area.
The entire project was a team effort, demonstrated by the efficiency and quality of the synthetic turf field. Shaw Sports Turf worked with R.A.D Sports to complete the install of the turf, which was completed right on time.
“We take pride in building fields that not only create an impact on young athletes, but continue to demonstrate our commitment to service.” said Rob Delmonico, President of R.A.D. Sports.
Weston High School, R.A.D Sports, and the Shaw team also worked closely with landscape architects, Activitas, Inc., to help in the design of the project.
“Activitas routinely demands attention to detail and strict adherence to schedule from every contractor involved in our projects. Shaw Sports Turf and the General Contractor, R.A.D Sports, met these requirements by delivering two exceptional fields within a challenging timeframe. Additionally, they demonstrated flexibility in their delivery by providing multiple mobilizations in order for other critical path items to be completed prior to finalizing the synthetic turf portion of the project,” said Mark Novak, Principal, Activitas, Inc.
Weston High School was already familiar with Shaw as a leading manufacturer of high quality synthetic turf, so the decision to go with Shaw and their contracting partners was easy.
“The new synthetic turf is something the community of Weston can and will be proud of for many years to come. This was a total community effort and all within – schools, youth, and community members will enjoy our new synthetic turf field. I envision Proctor Field to be busier than ever. I think the sense of school and community pride will be enhanced as well,” said McGrath.
While the Thanksgiving Day Football game was the first event hosted on the new Proctor Field (held on November 23rd,, 2017), the school will be hosting a Grand Opening later this spring.
“The Weston High School Athletic Complex is a true showcase in New England. We are very pleased and proud to partner with R.A.D Sports and Activitas in making this beautiful facility a reality. Weston High School athletes will enjoy the benefits of playing on two state-of-the-art Legion fields for many years to come,” said Territory Manager Joe Kacevich.
ABOUT SHAW SPORTS TURF
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Shaw Industries is a full flooring provider to the residential and commercial markets. Shaw supplies carpet, hardwood, laminate, resilient, and tile/ stone flooring products, as well as synthetic turf. Shaw Sports Turf is one of the leading synthetic turf companies in North America and has represented quality and innovation for more than two decades with over 3,000 successful installations, including an impressive list of high-profile field installations. For more information please visit www.shawsportsturf.com, call 866-703-4004 or find us on Facebook and Twitter.
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