Construction of the Coach Ed Field turf at Brook Street was completed today, Thursday, October 5^th.  Following completion of the work, the field was tested for GMAX (impact absorption) and passed. The first game will be played today by the JV Girls Soccer team. We are very excited about completion of the two turf field projects. Thank you to the Manchester and Essex communities for your support and patience as we have undergone this much needed transformation of our athletic facilities!  

Work on the Brook Street turf field continues to progress. The shock pad is completely installed, and the majority of the turf carpet has been installed as well. Sprinturf is currently working on inlays, which are expected to be completed this week, followed by installation of infill. After some minor weather delays due to rain, the current expected completion date is Friday, 10/6, approximately one week later than the original contractual deadline for Brook Street. The athletics department has made some modifications to game schedules to accommodate these changes. The updated schedule can be viewed HERE.

Grading test results for Brook Street have come back and meet all specified requirements.  We experienced our first weather interruptions this past week, with rain and wind causing the construction team to lose a few days of work.  Shock pad installation began on Tuesday, 9/19.  Shock pad and turf carpet installation are occurring simultaneously, section-by-section at Brook Street, which will allow the construction team to save some time.  The net result of delays and efficiencies is that Brook Street is now expected to be complete by approximately the end of the first week of October.  This is about 1 week longer than anticipated in the prior schedule from late August.

We continue to receive positive feedback from the athletics department, players, and officials regarding playing conditions on the new field at Hyland. 

Click HERE for Schedule Update.

Work on Brook Street field has begun. The old turf and infill have been removed. Grading work has been completed, and is awaiting final testing results to ensure planarity matches specifications.  The next step will be installation of the shock pad and turf carpet.  Hyland field is now in use, and has already hosted several athletics games and practices, school recess and community activities. Everyone is very pleased with Hyland Field (coaches, student-athletes, families, officials, and opposing teams). The athletes feel safer playing on the new surface and can feel a significant difference in the impact the field has on their joints while running/playing. Games and practices have been going very well. We've had large crowds at games and great school spirit overall!

Installation of the turf carpet is nearly complete with Sprinturf currently working on sewing in inlays.  Installation of rubber and sand infill is scheduled to begin this Friday, one day earlier than anticipated on the most recent schedule, and is expected to be complete by the end of next week. 

We have had a few inquiries from neighbors about work hours and have reminded Sprinturf that in accordance with Manchester’s noise ordinances, use of heavy noise-producing equipment must be limited to Monday-Saturday between the hours of 8am and 6pm.  Because infill installation does require use of equipment, work on the project will be paused on Sunday and for Labor Day Monday, in keeping with these regulations.  This pause was already reflected on the most recent project schedule.  At this point, Sprinturf is still expecting to complete installation of Hyland field by the end of next week, also in keeping with the current schedule. 

Initiation of work at Brook Street field is still scheduled to begin immediately after Hyland field is complete, subject to receipt of final PFAS testing.  Sprinturf has indicated that these results are due back by 9/8. 

Base work was completed this past week, and Sprinturf subsequently provided Gale Associates with the required third-party evaluation to confirm that grading results for planarity and permeability match the specifications in the design plan.  These results are attached.  Shock pad installation was also completed.  This optional padding underneath the turf carpet provides additional cushioning to minimize potential for injury from ground impact.  Turf carpet installation has also begun, and sections of the field now resemble a typical completed turf field.  The remaining carpet is scheduled to be installed by Monday, 8/28, after which time “in lays” will be installed.  These are sections of the turf carpet (e.g., center logo and lines for various sports) that are individually sewn in. 

An updated schedule is attached, showing an estimated final completion date for Hyland of 9/7.  This is an extension of 2 days from the prior schedule, due minor delays (now resolved), related to arrival of carpet sections to the site.  The Athletics department has confirmed that the program can still be accommodated using Brook Street field, with only one game needing to be relocated.  This has been communicated to the impacted team.

Overall, this has been a very productive week of visible progress.

Please see updated schedule HERE. 

FIREFLY Permeability Evaluation 

Installation of Shock Pad

Installation of Turf Carpet

PFAs results were received for the remaining components (infill and shock pad) on Friday, 8/11, with no PFAs detected. Test results were shared with the Conservation Commission and will be posted to the MERSD project web site. With testing complete, site work began on Monday, 8/14, including removal of the old turf and infill.  Base work (i.e., grading) for the surface below the turf carpet is the next step in the project, and is scheduled to begin on Thursday, 8/17.   

Sprinturf has updated the project schedule, which now shows an estimated completion date for Hyland field on Tuesday, September 5^th, extending the timeline by one week. This new schedule is attached.The new schedule continues to keep Brook Street open for use until Hyland is complete.  At this point, Sprinturf still maintains that it can achieve the contractual 9/30 completion date for Brook Street. Based on this, the athletics department believes that it can manage any impact on practices and games using Brook Street field.

Please see updated schedule HERE.

Turf1 

Turf2