2019-136 Artifical Turf Use in ParksDate: July 5, 2019 Report No. 2019-136
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT: Artificial Turf on Sports Fields
BACKGROUND:
At the May 7, 2019, City Council meeting, Council Member Armintor requested information on
the cost of adding Artificial Turf on sports fields.
DISCUSSION: Artificial turf is becoming more popular in the recreational sports environment. This is due to the
benefits of the extended use time of the artificial turf versus natural grass. The availability of
artificial turf provides a durable surface, ability to play during inclement weather and, elimination
of wear and tear on the playing surfaces. This year, the City of Denton had two large softball
tournaments rained out in 2019. This resulted in PARD refunding $6,192.50 in revenue. These
cancelations also resulted in a loss of economic impact to the community.
PARD staff currently limits the number of tournaments to 15 weekends per year. This limitation
is placed to assure that the fields are not overused which reduces the quality of the playing surface.
This balance also aids in reducing the number of repairs that need to be completed due to heavy
use.
Renovating existing fields to artificial turf field could result in PARD offering 35-45 tournament
weekends each year. With the artificial turf in place, tournaments would less frequently be
canceled due to the weather. Tournament directors, teams and participants could depend on events
not being canceled, which could result in Denton serving as a destination. Over the past number
of years, communities have become very competitive with sports tourism due to the economic
benefits of out-of-town visitors.
Converting existing fields to artificial turf would require a capital investment. North Lakes Softball
Field Complex would cost an estimated $900,000 per field to convert to full artificial turf (6 fields
x $900K = $5.4M). The price would include keeping the existing facilities and fencing, removing
all dirt and grass, and replacing the native material with artificial turf. An analysis was provided
by AstroTurf in Exhibit A, providing a comparison for the capital and maintenance costs for
artificial and natural turf. Based on the comparison, artificial turf is more expensive overall but
the number of hours available for use and cost per hour supports the installation of artificial turf.
Artificial turf requires less maintenance than natural grass and it does not need to be mowed.
Currently all sports fields maintained by PARD are mowed 2 times per week. The artificial turf
Date: July 5, 2019 Report No. 2019-136
only requires a ¼ of the water needed for natural grass fields. It is estimated that this could achieve
savings of approximately $75,000 annually. The water is used to clean the artificial turf and to
keep the temperatures lower on the surface. Artificial turf does require machinery to broom the
turf to return infills to the proper place after heavy use. This normally takes place once every two
weeks to once a month, depending on use. Currently, natural grass fields are lined, dragged,
fertilized, leveled, and weed treated throughout the year. Frequency depends on the season and
type of sports programmed at the time. Artificial turf does not need any of those services to be
ready for play. The time saved from maintenance increases the play time on the fields, resulting in
a less cost per hour of play and, an increase in recreational use for the community.
Technological enhancements have been made in the artificial turf industry that decreases typical
heat effects associated with artificial turf. The traditional shredded black rudder is being replaced
with recyclable organic materials. These new materials consist of cork, engineered wood particle,
crushed coconut shell infill, and coated sand. Natural infill products enhance the ability to recycle
the artificial turf. The infill is removed and put into compost, while the artificial turf is then
recycled via plastic.
CONCLUSION:
PARD staff will continue to investigate and evaluate options for the conversion of existing fields. In addition, when new fields are planned, staff will obtain comparisons for both natural and artificial turf.
If City Council would like PARD staff to move forward with requesting official quotes to convert
baseball, softball and/or soccer fields, staff can complete that task as directed.
STAFF CONTACT:
Drew Huffman, Parks Superintendent
drew.huffman@cityofdenton.com
REQUESTOR: Council Member Armintor
PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS: Parks and Recreation
STAFF TIME TO COMPLETE REPORT: 5 Hours
Natural Turf 80 Hours per Year 100 Hours per Year
Initial Construction: $300,000.00 $300,000.00
Maintenance Cost ($20,000 - $30,000/year X 10 years): $200,000.00 $300,000.00
Remedial Repair: $ 5,000.00 $ 5,000.00
Major Renovation: $ 40,000.00 $ 40,000.00
Total Anticipated Cost of Ownership: $545,000.00 $645,000.00
Total Anticipated Hours of Use: 800 1,000
Cost per Hour: $ 681.25 $ 600.00
Synthetic Turf 1,100 Hours per Year 1,500 Hours per Year
Initial Construction: $750,000.00 $750,000.00
Maintenance Cost ($2,000-$5,000/year X 10 years): $ 20,000.00 $ 50,000.00
Total Anticipated Cost of Ownership: $770,000.00 $800,000.00
Total Anticipated Hours of Use: 11,000 15,000
Cost per Hour: $ 90.00 $ 53.33
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