Members of the Upper Freehold Regional School District Board of Education and district administrators are examining the possibility of replacing the grass football field at the Allentown High School stadium with a synthetic turf field.
The issue was discussed during a board meeting on Feb. 19 at the Newell Elementary School, Allentown.
Board President Patrick Nolan raised the topic of a synthetic turf field and said the panel’s members are considering the installation of such an amenity in the school district.
Board members said if the plan advances, the synthetic turf field would be designed by the Spiezle Architectural Group.
“We are talking about a turf field and it is under consideration until further notice,” Nolan said. “We are making certain about the financial impact it may have.”
Nolan emphasized that the installation of a synthetic turf field has not been settled by district administrators.
In analyzing the possibility of installing an artificial playing surface, he said the board members and district administrators are seeking to ensure the project would be financially viable and create as little impact as possible on future school budgets.
Business Administrator Patrick Pisano provided board members with a preliminary timeline of how the potential installation of a synthetic turf field could proceed if district officials approve the project in 2020.
Pisano said soil sampling is expected to be conducted on March 15. He said that after the soil is tested, administrators would have a better idea of the project’s cost. The turf field is expected to be discussed again during the board’s March 18 meeting.