New turf playing surfaces to benefit hundreds of LPS students

August 7, 2024

Hundreds of smiling students will have fun on new turf surfaces when they run across Lincoln Public Schools playgrounds this fall.
 
Three LPS sites will have synthetic turf playgrounds during the 2024-25 year. Playgrounds at Clinton Elementary School, Hartley Elementary School and McPhee Elementary School will all enjoy a fresh look. Construction began at Clinton this past spring and started at Hartley and McPhee over the summer.
 
Clinton Principal Angee Luedtke said it has been exciting to watch the school’s playground take shape. Workers fenced off the area before removing dirt and pieces of worn-down grass at the site. They then graded the surface and installed storm sewer piping and aggregate base before placing down the turf.
 
“It’s going to be really good at recess,” Luedtke said. “It’s going to be a lot safer than before. It’s something that is going to help a lot of students.”

 
The outer edges of Clinton’s playground will feature two rectangle-shaped pieces of turf. Workers added a small patch of cement near an existing basketball court to create an additional activity area. A padded section with slides and other playground equipment will remain in another corner near the school building.
 
Luedtke said the entire neighborhood has been looking forward to the project’s completion. Students will be able to use the playground during the day, and it will be accessible to community members after school for family and group activities.
 
“The kids were pretty happy with what they saw when the project started in the spring,” Luedtke said. “They’re really excited.”

 
LPS Director of Operations Scott Wieskamp said the Clinton, Hartley and McPhee projects were necessary for student safety. He said it became challenging to grow healthy grass at all three schools because of the heavy use of the relatively-small recess spaces.
 
“We have a lot of feet and not enough real estate for them to play,” Wieskamp said. “Even with the best maintenance and irrigation you just can’t sustain grass, because there is just so much foot traffic on them. It’s just the nature of playgrounds.”
 
All eight LPS high schools have synthetic turf fields that are used for activities. LPS previously installed turf at Everett Elementary School and partnered with Lincoln Parks and Recreation for a project at Park Middle School.
 
Wieskamp said students will benefit from the three new playgrounds in many ways.
 
“I think it will help a lot,” Wieskamp said. “Clinton is just about done and the kids are already on it. They’re so excited, and if you go to Park or Everett, those fields are just covered with kids. They love it. It’s not muddy, it’s very playable, and it's friendly to any activities. It’s been a good investment.”

 
Another major turf project took place this summer at Seacrest Field. Lincoln Board of Education approved a $485,375 bid from Sprinturf to install a new surface at the historic stadium.
 
Seacrest received its first synthetic turf surface in 1999, and a second replacement turf was laid at the facility 12 years ago. The average lifespan for a synthetic turf field is 10-12 years.
 
Wieskamp said it immediately became evident that changing Seacrest from grass to turf was a good decision.
 
“We were one of a few schools in the country to have it at the time, because it was the new wave,” Wieskamp said. “We had grass before. We went from 20-some events a year on Seacrest on natural grass, because football season would basically wear it out, to over 200 events a year because it was artificial. It made a huge difference for access for kids. It was great.”

 
The Seacrest project was less extensive than the three elementary sites because there was no need for preliminary groundwork. Workers install a drainage system that includes an eight-inch layer of rock and embedded drain tile the first time synthetic turf is placed down. After that foundation is completed, they can then place the turf – also known as a rug – on top of it.
 
“Once that system is in place, the next time you replace the rug, you just roll the rug up,” Wieskamp said. “The base is all intact and fine, and you put a new rug down. The first time at Seacrest took a few months, and this time it took a few weeks.”

Wieskamp said the elementary school and Seacrest projects are helping the local economy. Many synthetic turf companies are located in places such as South Carolina and Georgia, but Lincoln-area contractors and subcontractors have been working at each site this summer.
 
Lincoln-based Nemaha Sports Construction submitted a bid of $1,004,000 for the elementary projects, and Gama Trucking and Excavating handled the prep and drainage work. Gama, which is based just southwest of Lincoln, has completed earthwork on many LPS jobs.
 
Wieskamp said it is satisfying to know that the turf fields will bring wide smiles to hundreds of students at their outdoor school activities this year.
 
“It’s pretty rewarding,” Wieskamp said. “We’re hardly even done when we’re putting one in at an elementary school and the kids are already on it. That tells you how excited they are. The fact that they have a nice turf field to play on now is great.”
 
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