Turf field coming to Abington Area park

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. - Work on a field turf project at Abington Area Community Park, South Abington Township, continues as shown, despite a setback from Hurricane Sandy in October, which caused a delay of a few days, according to Tim McCoy, project manager.

The stone base under the turf is meant to drain and stabilize the poor soils, but some areas are so bad that we needed to bring in a Geo-technical engineer who recommended a heavy grade fabric be used in those areas. It is the same material that PennDOT uses when building roads over swampy areas. The recent rains are not helping matters, said McCoy. The exiting clay soils on the site do not drain well and so the ground becomes saturated and holds water like a sponge after every rain and snow. This was the biggest problem with the original grass field. The turf will alleviate that problem, but preparing the site has been difficult.

The installation of Geotextile and Stone Base is in progress at this time and turf material is schedule to be delivered Dec.19. Field Turf is the lead contractor on the project and Land Tek is the subcontractor for Field Turf. The current contract with Field Turf is $892,099.74.

McCoy added, They have removed the existing top soils and are installing geotextile fabric and stone that will form the base under the synthetic turf. The concrete curbing around the perimeter of the field, along with the supports for the fencing and netting has also been installed.

He noted the project is running close to the original schedule and should be completed by middle to late January. Paving may be delayed until the spring if the asphalt plants close due to the weather. The walkways and parking area will be started pending stabilization of sub grades.