Turf Wars: Breckenridge Mulling Options for Defective Turf

Larry Tait with Tait-Pitkin Sports Engineers conducted a study on the turf condition at Buckaroo Stadium and found that the surface was defective.

"The condition of the turf at Buckaroo Stadium had nothing to do with the school or the design of the stadium," Tait said. "However, it's not just wearing away prematurely. It's basically gone."

Tait said school districts in Port Neches Grove, Midlothian and Aledo had the same problems as Breckenridge and had to eventually seek legal counsel to have the surfaces replaced.

FieldTurf, the company who designed the Buckaroo Stadium surface, declined to attend Monday's meeting. The company offered to apply a FiberGuard coating in order to prevent future wear.

Tait advised against that, saying the district at Port Neches Grove applied the application a year ago and they "didn't see that it was doing any good."

Tait reported that the fibers are breaking loose prematurely and is showing signs of premature wear in several spots.

Fraying of the fibers was very pronounced in places where the turf was used.

The conclusion from Tait's report is the surface "is deteriorating at an accelerated rate."

Tait's solution to the problem was simply to have the surface replaced, hopefully within one year to prevent safety issues such as loose fibers entering the eyes or respiratory systems of athletes.

FieldTurf is currently in a legal battle with TenCate, the company's fiber supplier. In a letter from FieldTurf CEO Eric Daliere, it states that the surface at Buckaroo Stadium "currently does not qualify for a replacement."

However, when the surface was installed in 2008, an eight year warranty was included in the purchase of the product. BISD discussed possible legal counsel activities in closed session.