Natural Grass to be Replaced with FieldTurf at Spanos Stadium
12/21/2021 12:01:00 PM | Football, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- For Cal Poly's Alex G. Spanos Stadium, it's out with natural grass and in with FieldTurf.
Spanos Stadium, which this fall was the only football facility in the Big Sky Conference still with natural grass, will no longer be able to claim that distinction next fall as the grass will be replaced with an artificial surface in the next few months.
Maino Construction of San Luis Obispo is the design build contractor with Harris Architecture, DPSI Engineering, Thoma Electric and FieldTurf rounding out the team.
Plans were completed in November and groundbreaking for the $3.2 million project is expected next week, weather permitting. The project, funded by the university, Cal Poly Corporation and other multiple sources, will be completed in time for Cal Poly's 2022 Spring Commencement on June 11 and 12, 2022.
The upper fields of the Cal Poly Sports Complex also will undergo replacement of its aging surfaces with FieldTurf. That project is separate from the Spanos Stadium project with a timeline of April through September 2022
FieldTurf has been installed in such facilities as Notre Dame Stadium, Lumen Field (formerly CenturyLink Field) in Seattle, Cal Memorial Stadium, Montana's Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Iowa's Kinnick Stadium, football stadiums for Ohio State, Syracuse, UTEP and Wisconsin and Canadian Football League stadiums in Regina, Saskatchewan, and Ottawa, Ontario.
The specific turf being installed at Spanos Stadium is FieldTurf Super Elite Vertex Prime with CORE 'System,' a durable two-fiber product that features Classic HD slit-film fibers combined with resilient CORE monofilament fibers designed for excellent long-term performance.
Together with the patented FieldTurf '3 Layer' infill mix of sand, sand/rubber and rubber, the Super Elite field that will be installed at Spanos Stadium will have a natural look with excellent ball performance and a system that is backed by long-term independent real-life safety data.
The project's scope includes the removal of existing natural grass with professional grade artificial turf, earthwork and subgrade preparations, improved field accessibility with new concrete flatwork and curbs, storm drain and sanitary sewer upgrades, new field goals and posts. The earthwork and subgrade phases will level the field, adding as much as 2.5 feet of infill to the existing field at the south end of the facility.
Also included are field striping and logos for both football and soccer. In addition to those sports, the field will accommodate rodeo events and general events such as commencement, large gatherings, concerts, etc.
Cal Poly football teams from 1905 through 1934 played on an open field at the present location of Cal Poly's stadium before Mustang Stadium was built in 1935 with steel bleachers on the east side. Wooden stands and a press box were added on the west side in 1938.
Bleachers on the east side were expanded twice in the 1970s. The wooden press box and stands on the west side were replaced in the late 1980s with temporary metal bleachers and scaffolding for the press box for the next 15 years. Rental bleachers in the south end zone were replaced with permanent seats in 2013.
Construction of the present facility on the west side, including eight donor suites, a president's suite, two coaching booths and 3,480 seats spanning California Boulevard, began in September 2005 and was completed in time for the 2007 season. New restrooms, stadium lighting and public address systems as well as Mustang Memorial Plaza also were part of the $21.5 million project.
Recent Maino Construction projects at Cal Poly include the Hoffman Press Box at Baggett Stadium and Mustang Golf Academy at Dairy Creek Golf Course. Maino Construction also was the general contractor for Mott Athletics Center, built in the late 1950s, and the 2006 expansion of Alex G. Spanos Stadium as well as the addition of Mustang Memorial Plaza.
Spanos Stadium, which this fall was the only football facility in the Big Sky Conference still with natural grass, will no longer be able to claim that distinction next fall as the grass will be replaced with an artificial surface in the next few months.
Maino Construction of San Luis Obispo is the design build contractor with Harris Architecture, DPSI Engineering, Thoma Electric and FieldTurf rounding out the team.
Plans were completed in November and groundbreaking for the $3.2 million project is expected next week, weather permitting. The project, funded by the university, Cal Poly Corporation and other multiple sources, will be completed in time for Cal Poly's 2022 Spring Commencement on June 11 and 12, 2022.
The upper fields of the Cal Poly Sports Complex also will undergo replacement of its aging surfaces with FieldTurf. That project is separate from the Spanos Stadium project with a timeline of April through September 2022
FieldTurf has been installed in such facilities as Notre Dame Stadium, Lumen Field (formerly CenturyLink Field) in Seattle, Cal Memorial Stadium, Montana's Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Iowa's Kinnick Stadium, football stadiums for Ohio State, Syracuse, UTEP and Wisconsin and Canadian Football League stadiums in Regina, Saskatchewan, and Ottawa, Ontario.
The specific turf being installed at Spanos Stadium is FieldTurf Super Elite Vertex Prime with CORE 'System,' a durable two-fiber product that features Classic HD slit-film fibers combined with resilient CORE monofilament fibers designed for excellent long-term performance.
Together with the patented FieldTurf '3 Layer' infill mix of sand, sand/rubber and rubber, the Super Elite field that will be installed at Spanos Stadium will have a natural look with excellent ball performance and a system that is backed by long-term independent real-life safety data.
The project's scope includes the removal of existing natural grass with professional grade artificial turf, earthwork and subgrade preparations, improved field accessibility with new concrete flatwork and curbs, storm drain and sanitary sewer upgrades, new field goals and posts. The earthwork and subgrade phases will level the field, adding as much as 2.5 feet of infill to the existing field at the south end of the facility.
Also included are field striping and logos for both football and soccer. In addition to those sports, the field will accommodate rodeo events and general events such as commencement, large gatherings, concerts, etc.
Cal Poly football teams from 1905 through 1934 played on an open field at the present location of Cal Poly's stadium before Mustang Stadium was built in 1935 with steel bleachers on the east side. Wooden stands and a press box were added on the west side in 1938.
Bleachers on the east side were expanded twice in the 1970s. The wooden press box and stands on the west side were replaced in the late 1980s with temporary metal bleachers and scaffolding for the press box for the next 15 years. Rental bleachers in the south end zone were replaced with permanent seats in 2013.
Construction of the present facility on the west side, including eight donor suites, a president's suite, two coaching booths and 3,480 seats spanning California Boulevard, began in September 2005 and was completed in time for the 2007 season. New restrooms, stadium lighting and public address systems as well as Mustang Memorial Plaza also were part of the $21.5 million project.
Recent Maino Construction projects at Cal Poly include the Hoffman Press Box at Baggett Stadium and Mustang Golf Academy at Dairy Creek Golf Course. Maino Construction also was the general contractor for Mott Athletics Center, built in the late 1950s, and the 2006 expansion of Alex G. Spanos Stadium as well as the addition of Mustang Memorial Plaza.
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