Foxboro Stadium Goes Natural

Hitting rock was the only thing Ran-dall & Blake, Inc., hadn't antici-pated in the construction of the

new, natural turf sand-based field atFoxboro Stadium in Foxboro, MA,so natu-rally they hit tons of it.

"When we started trenching to put inthe drainage lines, we encountered 'rockledge,' a condition which is very commonin many parts of New England," recalls DanAlmond, registered landscape architect anddesign/build division manager for the land-scape architecture and construction firmbased in Littleton, co. "The soil borings weperformed very early on didn't show us howmuch rock was down there. About 90 per-cent of what was down there was rock."

Fortunately, they discovered the prob-lem late in the week and had the weekendto solve it. By Monday, they were back inbusiness.

"We had originally planned on using aVermeer 450 trencher, but we switched toa 650, which is about twice the size, and itworked like a champ," says Almond. "Wedid go through hundreds of teeth,though.t'Hitting rock caused a little bit ofanxiety because our schedule was so tight,"he continues. "But we were able to regroup

By Matthew Trulio

over the weekend, bring in the new equip-ment, and make up what little time we lost.These are the things that happen in aproject like this. You just have to makeadjustments and go on."

Adjusting to improve a difficult situationis a subject the New England Patriots, theNFL team which calls Foxboro Stadiumhome, know something about After suffer-ing through one of the toughest seasons inthe history of the franchise, a season filledwith loss and controversy, the Patriots de-cided it was time to make some adjust-ments.

They hired Sam Jankovich as chief exec-utive officer and owner's representative.They picked high in the NFL draft, whichis perhaps the only consolation for a teamwith a losing season. And they turned theirattention to the field itself and its well-wornartificial surface.

"Mr. Jankonvich was the athletic direc-tor at the University of Miami, so he wasused to natural turf," says Almond. "He wasstrong on the idea of going to it at FoxboroStadium."

And go to it the Patriots and FoxboroStadium owners did.

"This is a great commitment on behalf

of [Patriots owner] Victor Kiam and theNew England Patriots organization to in-stall a proven natural turf field," Jankovichsaid earlier this year. "This decision is inthe best interest of not only the Patriots'football players, but also other playersaround the National Football League. Inaddition, such a surface is conducive to abetter brand of football."

RBI finalized negotiations for installingthe new field in January. The field had tobe playable by June 1, when a soccer matchbetween the national teams of the U.S. andIreland would be held. Work began in mid-February. Missing the deadline was simplynot an option.Out With The Old

Before RBI could begin work on install-ing its GraviTURF Natural Turf AthleticField System at Foxboro Stadium, the oldsurface had to be removed. That meanttaking up 93,000 square feet of artificialturf and padding, 2,000 cubic yards ofasphalt, and 4,000 cubic yards of soil. Al-though another outside contractor washired for the removal chores, RBI was on-site when they took place.

"Because the field at Foxboro was arti-continued on page 14

Foxboro's new turf ready for international soccer match.

June, 1991 13

Foxboro Stadiumcontinued from page 13

ficial, it had a crown," Almond recalls. "Inthe middle of the field, the asphalt wasabout 15 inches thick! Even on the sides, itwas three or four inches thick. The nicething was that they removed the surfaceand the pad and gave it to charity. Thenthey ground up the asphalt and used it inparking lot improvements at the stadium.Nothing was wasted."In With The New

The GraviTURF system installed atFoxboro Stadium is a gravity-drained, sand-based athletic field set-up. The system wasinvented by RBI, which is in the process ofhaving it patented.

The system begins with perforated pipedrainage lines, which vary from four to 12inches in diameter depending on the drain-age requirements of a particular project."The pipe is all bedded in pea gravel-underit, around it, and on top of it-and we typi-cally use a well-rounded material," saysAlmond. "On top of that, depending on thetype of installation the client wants, weinstall our soil warming system."

The Patriots wanted the soil warmingsystem. It consists primarily of electric heatcables which run the length of the field,from end zone to end zone.

"Most of the time, we have to upgradethe power a bit because the heating systemrequires something on the order of 500,000watts," says Almond. "But it is a phasedsystem-the whole thing doesn't run atonce, because that way it's a lot moreeconomical for the owner to run.

"Obviously, a soil warming system israrely used more than 2-1/2 months a year,but it really helps extend a field's playabil-ity, as well as the ability to keep it green,"he adds.

After the warming system, if specified, isin place, a peat and sand mix is put down.At Foxboro, the sand and peat were mixedin a Dakota Blender. The job of makingsure the sand and peat were compatiblewent to Chuck Dixon, an agronomist andfounder of Turf Diagnostics And Design, anOlathe, KS, firm which evaluates materialsfor suitability of use in putting greens andother sand-based systems.

"The sand fits United States Greens As-sociation particle size criteria," he explains."The gravel is about five to seven timeslarger than the sand."

IiWe mostly use Dakota Reed SedgePeat," adds Almond. IiA lot of people seemto be going to it now."

Lastly, there is the grass. RBI generally

14 Golf & sport TURF

seeds if time allows. "That way, we can seedinto our root zone mixture exactly the typeof grass mix we want to use," says Almond."By seeding, we also avoid any soil inter-face problems."

Faced with Foxboro's tight time frame,however, RBI was forced to sod.Getting The Old Team Together

Although RBI, founded in 1975, hadconstructed about 30 golf courses through-out the West, as well as a number of athleticfields, the first professional field installa-tion of a GraviTURF system was at theDenver Broncos' training facility in 1989.Mark Altman, of Altman & Altman Turf andSoil Fertility Specialists, an independentconsulting firm based in Marshall, MN,wasbrought in by RBI and the Broncos toperform soil analyses on the project

Electric heat cables and irrigation installed inpea gravel base.

"That was about as close to a sterilemedia as I've run across," says Altman."They [RBI] had planned on doing a stan-dard soil analysis, but I suggested taking anumber of soil samples because they weregoing with a sand-based field. With a sand-based field, you can create a designer mixof nutrients. That gives you some real op-tions that you don't normally have."

Altman designed a soil fertility program,which included major and minor nutrients,for the seeded turf. "When the turf cameup, it had all the nutrients it needed," heenthuses. "You can make a profound differ-ence in turf establishment through propersoil fertility management."

"I think the system is a perfect marriagebetween drainage and water retention,"says Ross Kurcab, field manager of theBroncos' training facility. "We haveenough drainage where we never have anystanding water. At the same time we retainenough water so we're not just flushing itthrough."

Once RBI secured the Foxboro project,the firm contacted Altman again.

"They called me and said we've gotanother project to do, but with a completelydifferent set of circumstances than at Den-ver," says Altman. "This time, we weresodding instead of seeding. We started outwith six weeks from sodding to playingtime, but by the time everything came to-gether, that was down to four weeks."

Building Bionic TurfWhen RBI began its search for sod to be

used at Foxboro, it was looking not only fora specific type of grass, but also for one thathad been grown in a sandy loam that ap-proximated the sand-peat-gravel mix they'dbe using. Their search, with Altman's assis-tance, took them throughout the New En-gland area, and as far west as Indiana.Finally, after exhaustive testing of sods andsoils from various turf farms, they settledon a Kentucky bluegrass of 27 percentMerit, 30 percent Ram, 20 percent Glade,and 23 percent Eclipse from Gold StarFarms in Canterbury, NH.

"There were a lot of soil samplesswapped back and forth," says Mack Mac-Phail, a customer service manager at GoldStar. "They wanted a sod that had beengrown in a sandy loam to begin With, andour soil was very close to what they hadbeen looking for."

The idea in testing the soil was not to"match" loam to loam, since the sod wouldbe washed free of all farm loam after har-vest, but to find a sod that was already athome in a medium similar to that used atFoxboro.

"The number one problem I see in sand-based fields is the sod-soil issue," saysDixon of Turf Diagnostics And Design. "Areally fine-textured sod can seal off the sandbase, and you never get rooting or otherbenefits. That's one of the benefits to sodwashing-you eliminate the interface prob-lem."

The sod RBI selected at Gold Star wasstrong and healthy, according to Altmanand Almond. But, given the deadline for theFoxboro project and the impending soccermatch, they knew it had to be evenstronger.

"After we decided that Gold Star was theone, we sent their samples to Mark, who ranhis tests to determine fertilizer rates," saysAlmond. "He did something that I think isunique. He came up with a pre-fertilizerprogram, including biostimulants, that wasused at the farm to create a 'bionic' sod.And it paid off big time!"As for the "exacts"of the program he created for sod on the

farm, Altman isn't giving away any secrets.("I need some competitive edge," helaughs.) However, he does provide a gen-eral description of the on-farm program.

"The idea was to bring the turf up tosports turf durability and playability beforeit came to the stadium," Altman reveals."From the soil analyses at the sod farm, wewere able to come up with a program offertilization, Roots biostimulant, and foliarfeeding."

IIWe understood that whatever processthey were recommending, we were going towork with them," says MacPhail of GoldStar. "The material [specified by Altman]was shipped here, and we put it down at therecommended rates.

IIWe had to ship the sod by May 1, andthat's just barely spring here. The sod wasjust starting to come out of dormancy, andwe were happy to take any suggestions on'waking it up.?'

After the sod was harvested, all 93,000square feet of it were washed as planned.Gold Star used a special sod washing ma-chine, patented in Tasmania and assembledin Toronto, Canada, to accomplish the task.The washing procedure, which used 400gallons of water a minute at 45 psi, wasdone at the farm.

The idea wasto bring the turfup to sports turfdurability and

playability beforeit came to

the stadium.III think RBI was, among other things,

looking for someone who had the most'enthusiastic' way of washing the sod,"MacPhail says. "Bringing a machine hereassembled in Canada and patented in Tas-mania is about as enthusiastic as you canget."From Farm To Field

Before a foot of the washed sod was laidat Foxboro, a custom-designed, pre-plantfertilizer was incorporated into the sandand peat mix. IIWe incorporated major andminor nutrients into the mix, which was lowin potassium and had a high percolationrate," says Altman. IIWe used a sulfur-

coated sulfate of potassium, so we couldprevent the potassium from leaching away.We also included trace elements-manga-nese, copper, and zinc. Sands vary greatlyfrom pit to pit, and you need to take thatinto consideration when you design pro-grams for sand-based fields."

The soil fertility specialist having, Sus-tain, from W.A. Cleary Chemical, put downto inoculate the soil prior to sod installa-tion, but because of a shipping problemthey had to apply it after the sod was laid.Altman also wrote a fertilizer program forthe field after sodding.

The results of the combined efforts ofeveryone involved have been impressive.

IIIn two weeks, we had roots down 2-1/2to three inches," Altman says with relief.IIAndwith what we did on the farm, we wereable to reduce transplant shock to zero."

IIOne of the keys to this whole system isdrainage," Almond points out. IIWeguaran-tee our percolation rates at five inches perhour, but at Foxboro we'll probably get apercolation rate in the range of six to eightinches per hour. According to tests we'vedone recently at the Broncos' practice facil-ity, the percolation rate there now is 6.2inches per hour.

continued on page 16

PROTECT YOUR VALVESAND IRRIGATION SYSTEM

FLUSHING OUTLET

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Foxboro Stadiumcontinued from page 15

"Quality control is the key," he adds."Every system is installed the same way,every time. We absolutely do not compro-mise on materials or installation."Game Time

To protect and maintain their consider-able investment-more than $1 million werespent in the entire Foxboro Stadium reno-vation-the Patriots and venue managershired Pierre Landry as field superinten-dent The 29-year-old from Rochester, NY,has a degree in plant and soil science from

Dan Almond (r) and Ross Kurcab at Bronco'spractice facility.

the University of Massachusetts and waspreviously an assistant superintendent atMonroe Golf Club in Pittsford, NY, and

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Andover Country Club in Andover, PA. Hewas recommended for the Foxboro job byRBI.

"I've worked with USGA sand-basedgreens, so I have a good idea about theirirrigation and fertilization needs," he says."The stress on this field is going to bedifferent than it is on a golf green-it's morephysical than environmental. I understandturf really well and I just have to adapt tosports fields."

Landry's golf course experience came inhandy during the first two weeks after thesod was laid at Foxboro. Using the field'sfive-row, gravity-fed (from a nearby watertower) irrigation system consisting ofHunter I-40s, a Weathermatic controllerand brass valves, and Hydrovisor moisturesensors, he syringed the field daily. It takesapproximately 1-1/2 hours for the system,which is designed with head-to-head cover-age, to complete its entire cycle.

IINow that the roots are down 3-1/2inches, I'm cutting back on water to getthem to dive even deeper," says Landry.

Since the previous surface at Foxborowas artificial and, consequently, didn't re-quire turf equipment beyond a vacuum,Landry is in the process of building his turfcare arsenal from scratch. In the meantime,he's using demo equipment from variousdistributors, such as a triplex mower, threetimes a week, to cut the grass to a 1-1/2-inch height. He adds that he'll soon bringthat cutting height down to 1-1/4 inch, andwill begin an overseeding program thissummer.

"We want to work to obtain a 50-50bluegrass-ryegrass mix," he reveals.

The Patriots players and coaches, hesays, are excited and curious about the newfield, and he sees developing a relationshipwith them as vital to his success at Foxboro,as well as the success of the field itself.

"I think the biggest challenge is goingto be satisfying the needs of the coachesand players, in terms of game condition andallowing them on the field," says Landry,who is currently renovating the Patriots'nearby soil-based practice field. IIOfcourse,I want to keep them off it as much aspossible [between games] but it's their fieldand they're going to want to practice on it.But that's mostly walk-through stuff, likesetting formations.

"We'll work it out by developing a goodrelationship where we understand eachother's needs."

Like RBI, the Patriots, and the FoxboroField owners, Landry will make adjust.ments, and then go on. Sometimes, that'swhat winning is all about.