Frequently Asked Questions
Why Artificial Turf?
Artificial turf will help the City get more use from existing fields. Unlike grass, artificial turf can be played on year-round – it doesn’t need downtime after periods of heavy rain or constant use. This will give more kids the opportunity to play on the fields regardless of the time of year.
In San Francisco, Franklin Square and Youngblood Coleman parks feature popular artificial turf soccer fields, as do numerous schools and universities throughout the Bay Area, including the University of California Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium.
In 2006, City Fields and San Francisco Rec/Park renovated Garfield Square in the Mission and Silver Terrace just outside the Bayview with all-weather turf and lights. Since then, these fields have become some of the most popular in the City.
How Does Installing Artificial Turf Fields Help Local Kids?
By installing artificial turf and lights to local athletic fields, the city’s existing athletic fields can host more games every day. Depending on the size of the field, annual hours of play can be increased 131% for larger fields (approximately 2,000 hours a year) and 74% for smaller fields (approximately 1,475 hours a year). At parks with multiple fields, like Crocker Amazon, the overall impact can be even more substantial.
How is Modern Artificial Turf Different from Astro Turf?
Today’s artificial turf features small, rubber pellets that soften the turf so it responds to foot pressure in much the same way as natural grass. Modern artificial turf is much softer and less likely to cause injury than the old “astro turf.”
Is Artificial Turf Expensive to Maintain? Do The Fields Need Water?
The new turf never needs to be mowed. It only requires an occasional sweeping to keep the field level and an annual grooming to remove leaves and dirt. The Recreation and Parks Department estimates that installing artificial turf can reduce maintenance costs by 75%. The City Fields Foundation is paying for field maintenance at Garfield Square and Silver Terrace Playground, and will do the same at Crocker, Kimbell and South Sunset.
The fields require no water and drain easily – preserving a valuable resource and keeping the fields available even after the heaviest rain storm.
How Were the First Two Field Projects Selected for Renovation?
The Recreation and Park Dept. and the City Fields Foundation jointly evaluated more than 80 San Francisco athletic fields to determine which fields would benefit most from artificial turf based upon key criteria, including:
- Current condition and use
- Ability to increase field capacity
- Location in an underserved community
- Community value
- Existing programming
Based upon the evaluation, the Foundation started with two fields - Garfield Square in the Mission and Silver Terrace just outside the Bayview - where the existing dirt fields were replaced with modern artificial turf and new park amenities such as permanent goals, lights, benches and new fencing.
What was the process for field renovation?
During the summer of 2006, the Foundation hosted meetings with community leaders, Recreation and Parks Department Staff, parents, park advocates and coaches to help identify guiding principles, criteria and recommend an initial set of fields for review.
The Playfields Planning Group recommended that the next round of renovations focus on fields that will add play capacity and will primarily be used by young people. With that focus as our guide, we compiled a comprehensive list of fields and researched criteria data in the categories identified by the group at the first meeting. At the second meeting, the group discussed the categories and questions in detail and reviewed the lists of fields for accuracy and additional factors.
That list of recommended fields was forwarded to the Recreation and Parks Department for review and comment. The list was then forwarded to outside architects for rough designs and cost estimates. The Foundation and the Recreation and Parks Department then selected 4 fields being renovated in 2007: Crocker Amazon Playground, Kimbell Playground, South Sunset Playground and the installations of lights at Franklin Square.
Who’s paying for the renovations? How does the Public/Private Partnership with the City work?
Working with Mayor Newsom, the Foundation has a verbal agreement to split the cost of the artificial turf renovations.
Who Gets to Use the Renovated Fields?
The Foundation and the Recreation and Parks Department are working together to make sure that the fields are shared between neighborhood children, local schools, and sports leagues. Signs will be posted at the fields indicating the times the fields are available for use by schools, by reservation and for open play.
