It’s out with the old, in with the new when it comes to Twin Pines Park’s turf field.
If you have driven by, you may have seen that the old field has already been removed. The new one is scheduled to begin installation this month.
The field was installed in 2009 and had been expected to last eight years. However, the field served the Valley for 14 years.
Now it’s time for a new and improved field.
The installation should take about three weeks, weather permitting.
“We are so excited to have a new field at Twin Pines,” said Karin Poveromo, director of Hopewell Township’s Parks and Recreation. “And we’re thrilled we can have it ready when the spring season starts.”
This field is twice the size of an average field at 126,760 square feet. It will be multi-purpose, lined for a variety of sports by using different colors.
There will be two sizes of soccer fields for men’s, women’s, and unified lacrosse, and field hockey.
To the average person, it will look very busy, but players will quickly learn to follow the color of their sport, officials said.
The turf being installed at Twin Pines Park is top-of-the-line, the same as what is used at MetLife Stadium. The Jets, Giants, all of Major League Soccer, and many Major League Baseball teams play on the same type of turf field. Rutgers has 10 of them, officials noted.
The turf employs a new technology that reduces the temperature on the field by approximately 35 degrees.
There are three layers to the field. First, sand is spread on a freshly-graded base. The second layer is mixed rubber and sand.
And the top layer is the “Cool Play,” which is a mineral-based composite.
The rubber in the center layer is recycled, and they are using eight pounds per square foot of the old field as part of the new field. More than a million pounds of material will be kept out of the landfill, officials said.
What really matters are the athletes who will be using the field.
“An installation in the winter is ideal for spring sports because it allows for the weather to help settle the field,” said Perry DiPiazza of FieldTurf USA, the manufacturer of the new turf field as well as the one installed in 2009.
“Our original FieldTurf installation served its purpose well. FieldTurf prides itself on its system’s safety and performance. Thank you to the township for our long-standing relationship and this new opportunity to continue to serve the township and its residents.”
Hopewell Township Mayor the entire Township Committee is excited about the work on the turf field.
“The turf replacement will ensure the field is kept in top shape for years to come,” he said.
Hopewell Township received a grant from the state of New Jersey for $73,000 toward the improvement of the artificial turf field at Twin Pines Park, which had been in disrepair after 14 years of use and many years of patches.
The new field is expected to have a similar lifespan.
Photo courtesy of Mike Chipowsky
