District 200 Approves Bids for Turf Replacement at North, South High Schools

The Wheaton Warrenville Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education on Wednesday approved two agreements totaling $826,709 to replace the turf fields at Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South high schools this summer.

District 200 in 2003 switched to turf that had a projected lifespan of eight to 10 years and an eight-year warranty, District 200 Superintendent Dr. Brian Harris told board members at the April 10 meeting. 

Work was also done in 2003 on the sub-structure of the fields to allow for appropriate grading and drainage, according to a District 200 staff memo. 

The field replacement process involves removal of the infill and carpet and replacing with new materials, using some of the existing infill, according to the memo.

The board approved the $737,949.40 agreement with The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN) for the field replacement at both high schools and a separate bid of $88,760 for removal of the existing fields. The total cost for removal and replacement of the fields is $826,709.40.

Harris said local representatives have inspected the turf at both fields and identified several rips and worn-down material in "high traffic" areas. 

"It has served us very well, however, with any type of synthetic surface like this, there is a time to replace it... We knew that that was the case 10 years ago."

District 200 Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations said the turf removal will take place in late May and the replacement will follow.

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