• Field Project Update - August 2015

    The Methacton School community is excited for the soon to be completed fields at Methacton High School!  The project is well underway and while a great deal of progress has been made, we have again experienced a number of issues that will further delay our use of the fields until substantial construction completion is achieved.

    This update will provide readers with the basis for the additional delays, a contingency plan for our student athletes, marching band, and physical education programs and will discuss our project status through descriptions of photos recently taken on our progress.

    Recent Progress in Photos 
     
    turf  
    As of 3 p.m. on August 7, 2015; the first signs of turf being applied to the auxiliary field provide an awesome glimpse into the future look of our athletic facilities.  

    scoreboard  

    The red arrow points to the steel that will hold the new stadium score board. You will notice that the score board is now placed outside the stadium compared to its former location in the stone area shown in this picture.

    scoreboard 2  

    This picture of the auxillary field has a red arrow showing the newly erected steel for holding the score board. 

    scoreboards  

    The soon to be installed scoreboards have arrived on site. There will be scoreboards on the stadium field, the auxiliary field, and both of the softball fields. These all share the same color theme and are intended in the future to allow interested donors naming rights opportunities.
     
    dugouts  
    This picture displays the newly arrived dugouts for the varsity softball field. These are currently being staged outside the parking area until further site preparation will allow for their permanent placement.
     
    While these additional delays will inconvenience many, please be aware that our internal team is actively working with our construction management partners, Fidevia, as well as our architect and construction vendors to leverage all available opportunities to make up any lost time with hopes that we can provide access to fields sooner than the updated scheduled now indicates. We are also judiciously working to ensure we have nothing less than safe and properly constructed improvements that will benefit 12,000 plus students over the next 30 plus years. 

    Contingency Plans

    For Warrior fans, please see the contingency plan below with locations for games and/or practices.

    IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE – when attending games, always check www.methactonwarriors.org to confirm game time and venue before heading out to the game. The District Athletic Department is currently updating this web site to reflect all the anticipated changes listed below. They will continue to update this web site diligently so that our fans can stay informed.

    Teams  Practice/Game Location*
    Varsity and JV Field HockeyMHS - fields below tennis courts 
    Freshman Field HockeyArcola - Field closest to Skyview by softball fields
    Arcola Field HockeyArcola - Field closest to Skyview by softball fields
    Varsity and JV FootballPractices: MHS - field below stadium (JV/Varsity baseball field)
    Freshman Football
    Practices: Mill Road field
    Games: locations to be announced - check venue at www.methactonwarriors.org  
    Arcola Football
    Arcola - practice football field
    Games: locations to be announced - check venue at www.methactonwarriors.org 
    Boys' and Girls' SoccerHeebner Park - Heebner Road side by big pavilion
    Cross CountryHeebner Park
    *Locations listed above are subject to change once fields become available. Always check www.methactonwarriors.org to confirm game time and venue. 
     
    Construction Delay Causes

    The primary cause for delays and the subsequent adjustment to the substantial completion timeline is based on the following issues: the need to remediate unsuitable soils, the delivery delay of turf infill material, and issues with the large infiltration basin. The term unsuitable, when referring to soils in this context, means that the dirt must be of a certain composition and compaction in order to remain stable when applying additional materials such as stone and synthetic carpet on top. If not, any application of materials to unsuitable areas could result in uneven surfaces and ripples in the field surface. 

    stadium  
    This picture is of the stadium field whereby unsuitable soils were remediated and as of today, the playing area is seeing fabric and flat panel drainage is being placed prior to stone being applied.
     
    aux field

    This picture is of the auxiliary field that has now passed inspection to allow for the rolls of synthetic turf to be moved from the stockpiled location on the campus shown below and placed in sequence to begin the unrolling of the turf.

    turf  
     
    Unsuitable soils were determined by an inspection (consisting of district team, general contractor, district construction management firm Fidevia, project architect, and a third party independent inspector) of the area by using a roller (similar to heavy equipment used to roll asphalt for road construction/paving) to determine if the existing layer of soil is of sufficient stability. The auxiliary and stadium field surfaces did not pass the initial inspection. The inspection concluded that several areas of each field needed remediation. Remediation of the unsuitable soils requires excavation of those affected locations and the replacement of suitable soils back to meet the soil sub-base requirements. A subsequent re-inspection of the fields on 8/6/2015 determined that the remediation was successful.

    In addition to the remediation of soils, the unexpected delivery delay of Cushion Fall Sport turf infill material has further impacted our schedule. Within the last several days, we were notified by the General Contractor in a letter from the infill material manufacturer that a significant power failure and subsequent plant shutdown will prevent timely delivery of ordered material. The infill material is the product that is placed throughout the Auxiliary and Stadium synthetic turf fields between the fibers of the turf surface and provides the cushion or bounce on the surface. Through communication with the infill manufacturer, they are planning to have the infill material shipped by August 17, 2015.

    To better understand what is meant by infill, please see the picture below which is a basic representation of a turf surface placement of infill material. SOURCE: Does not represent actual product being used but does represent the concept of in fill: https://rmpusa.com/assets/img/Turf-Infill-Crumb-Rubber.jpg 

    infill

    Finally, the large infiltration basin on the east side of the bus lot requires some additional work to meet its intended use. The administration and construction management firm is working closely with the township and County Conservation to address any concerns and determine possible options within the next week to determine our next steps. Based upon initial discussions, this issue will not prohibit us from using the Auxiliary field for practice, but we will not be able to fully utilize all fields until this issue is resolved.

    The recent delays will now likely impact our Health and Physical education programs with the start of school on September 1, 2015. These programs will utilize other available grass fields on the High School campus and will adjust their curriculum when necessary to maintain programming for all students in a safe location.

     

     
    Updated Substantial Completion Dates

    Auxiliary Field is to be substantially completed on August 21, 2015. This delay is a direct result of the unsuitable soils and infill delivered delay.

    Stadium Field is to be substantially completed on September 5, 2015. This delay is a direct result of the unsuitable soils and infill delivery delay.

    Track and other amenities surfacing (i.e. javelin) to be substantially completed on October 2, 2015. This delay resulted from the need to coordinate completion of the track resurfacing with the delayed stadium field completion.

    Seeding and Sodding of Softball Fields is to be substantially completed on September 7, 2015. This reflects NO change from previous agreed-upon substantial completion date. Timing is important to allow for proper growing of grass.  

    Rest Room Building is to be substantially completed by September 21, 2015. This reflects NO change from previously agreed-upon substantial completion date.

    Thank you for your continued support and patience as we near the completion of these improvements for our teams, our students, and our community. Go Warriors!