Quaker Valley School District student-athletes will have a new home-field advantage next school year.
The school directors recently voted to award a $1.16 million turf and track replacement project to Keystone Sports Construction of Montgomery County.
Charlie Gauthier, district director of facilities and administrative services, said the current surface is about 12 years old and the average lifespan of turf is 10 years.
“We’ve gotten some good use out of the turf we have now,” he said. “It’s getting to be a safety issue. The seams are starting to come undone. A lot of these turf projects are sewn together. Our track’s asphalt underlay is starting to crack.”
The project will be paid for through the district’s capital projects fund.
Gauthier said money has been set aside each year since 2020 to have the track and field done by the 2024-25 school year.
“This is a project that needs to be done, and it has been listed and thought of,” Gauthier said.
The high school football teams, as well as boys and girls soccer, boys and girls track and field, lacrosse, cross country and youth athletic programs, use the field.
Quaker Valley athletic director Mike Mastroianni said it’s time for a replacement to prevent injuries. He noted the site is also popular with the general public in the summer.
“It’s just a natural time for us, so you don’t get into the area where there are safety concerns,” he said Nov. 19. “We’ve done a number of repairs over the years. To have both (the track and turf) put in at the same time (will give it) a fresh look and (have) everything in place for our teams.”
The new field will incorporate the district’s QV logo and school colors of black, white and gold. The name “Quaker” will be written in the end zones, something the current field lacks.
Mastroianni said the district went through a rebranding several years ago with all teams getting new uniforms.
The field’s look is another reflection of that effort.
Other stadium upgrades in the past two years include LED lights and a new scoreboard.
The lights can be changed to different colors, such as red, white and blue during the playing of the national anthem, and flash like paparazzi cameras when a team scores.
Gauthier believes the new field’s aesthetics will be another welcome change.
“It’s great for the kids and the teams,” he said. “It just makes them feel proud to have the type of stadium they have to compete in.”
The stadium will be closed to the public June 3 through early August for construction.
The district reached out to multiple vendors and school districts as part of the project’s preparation.
Gauthier said he was looking into Shaw, Astro and field turf providers.
Keystone Sports Construction, the lowest bidder, uses Shaw materials. Gauthier said it has more “give” than the other materials.
“The layers within the turf provide extra layers of safety,” he said. “The turf that we are going with allows extra give so your foot doesn’t get stuck in it (and) alleviates injuries.”
Gauthier said he spoke with Sewickley Academy officials about Keystone and received positive feedback. The company had recently installed the academy’s baseball and softball fields.
He also checked with North Allegheny and other school districts that use Shaw turf.
“Everybody spoke very highly of this product,” Gauthier said.
Cicelia Maloney’s 10-year-old son, Bryson, plays on the Fighting Quakers, a youth football team. The Leet parent was at the Oct. 29 board meeting when the board unanimously voted for the project.
She told district officials she’s constantly picking pieces of turf out of her son’s shoes after games and is very pleased they will be replacing the surface.
“I think a better turf would be safer for the kids,” she said. “That’s No. 1, always. For visiting (teams) that come, it’s going to look better.”