The Hatboro-Horsham School District is eyeing the installation of a turf field in Hatters Stadium, a project that would cost more than a half-million dollars.

And the Horsham Township Council took steps Monday night to help expedite the process and save the district a little money.

The district announced Monday that the school board and administration had agreed to invest a “limited amount of money” on research and the preparation of a plan for the new field in an effort to maximum the use of all its fields and improve student safety.

Assistant Superintendent John Nodecker said Monday night that amount was somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000.

Chuck Haley, of ELA Sport, the Lititz firm hired to put together the plan, said the cost of the synthetic field would be $600,000 to $800,000.

Haley spoke to the council Monday night as the district sought a waiver from the local land development approval process. The waiver, township manager Bill Walker explained, means the district can avoid review by the Montgomery County Planning Commission, several township entities including the Environmental Advisory Board and Parks and Recreation Board, along with some township fees.

“That could take six months and an eternity,” he said after the meeting.

Walker and Haley told the council the grounds for the waiver are that the project, if approved, would simply replace the grass field with turf at the high school sports facility.

“We are not changing any of the use inside the stadium,” said Haley. “All we are doing is replacing the grass surface which, because of use, has become hard to maintain and not as safe.”

Walker said the district would have other requirements. He said it recently submitted a stormwater management plan and will have to obtain a grading permit from the township along with approval from the Montgomery County Conservation District.

After hearing from the township engineer and solicitor that the requested waiver should have a five-year limit, the council approved the waiver with little comment. It also waived a $1,200 stormwater fee.

Following the council OK, Nodecker repeated something he said in Monday's district press release.

“Our fields are in bad shape,” he said. “This project would allow us to rest some of them and let them heal.”

While Haley told Hatboro-Horsham Patch the price of the new field, the release only said the district will explore several options for funding including rental fees, state and federal grants, private funding, advertising and use of its capital reserve fund.

The district's research, according to the release, is part of a long-range plan aimed at three goals: improving safety for student athletes; accommodating the district's athletic events and practices in an equitable manner for girls and boys; and maintaining fiscal responsibility.

As a result of the bad shape of the fields, the district has had to move athletic practices indoors or onto parking lots, rent space at nearby facilities, and reschedule some home competitions as away events. The sheer number of events also has been a challenge.

For example, Hatters Stadium hosts 85 events per year, but the maximum suggested use is 55, according to the district. Similarly, the baseball and softball fields host 140 contests per year, when the maximum suggested use is 55.
The stadium accommodates a number of sports - including football, boys and girls soccer, and boys lacrosse. It also is used in the evenings and on weekends by community groups.

"The reason we are considering turf is because it can handle more wear and tear than natural fields, and is playable even when weather conditions might otherwise make a surface dangerous," Nodecker said in the release.

Haley added Monday that the in-fill product used for the turf fields is an improvement over grass when it comes to the impact on athletes' bodies.

The district's effort began when the Architerra firm completed a study of the district's fields in 2008.

In addition to the possibility of installing turf at Hatters Stadium, the district says it will be evaluating maintenance practices.

"We want to be able to make sure our student athletes are competing on safe surfaces as well as maintain the same level of diversity and equity in our athletic programs that we currently have. In order to do that, it's become necessary to examine upgrades and options for improving our existing fields," said Nodecker. "At the same time, we need to remain conscious of the economic challenges facing our district. Therefore we are making every effort to research this issue thoroughly and provide the board with cost-effective solutions that will meet student needs."