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Vendor pitches PFAS-free 'Pivot' turf as solution; district flags Burroughs High field as urgent $937,000 replacement
Summary
A vendor told the Burbank Unified oversight committee that Pivot, a non-infill synthetic turf, avoids PFAS and microplastics and carries a 12-year warranty; district staff reported the Burroughs High field has safety hazards and a vendor quote of about $937,000 to replace it this summer, to be brought to the school board.
A vendor presentation to the Burbank Unified School District's SFOC on May 13 introduced a non-infill synthetic turf called Pivot and prompted district staff to flag an urgent safety need at Burroughs High School that could require a roughly $937,000 replacement this summer.
"My name is Bobby Belleci. I'm with Tincada," the presenter said, introducing the product and the company's global manufacturing and installation capacity. He told the committee Pivot is a fourth-generation turf that removes traditional rubber or sand infill and is manufactured, he said, "with no PFAS." Belleci added the product is warrantied for 12 years and that Tincada makes its own shock pad with a 25-year warranty when the company provides the full installation.
A district staff member described a separate site assessment: "I saw the state of the field, it is smashed down, there is absolutely nothing left in that... It is beyond just being on it. We all agree it's a safety issue." The same staff member said a vendor quote to replace the Burroughs High School football field was about $937,000 and that, if approved, the vendor could install the field in summer.
Committee members asked technical and lifecycle questions about Pivot's drainage, anchoring, heat characteristics and long-term costs. Belleci said Pivot typically relies on existing drainage infrastructure after a grading check and a drainage test, and that the product's non-infill design reduces microplastics and ongoing infill maintenance. "With Pivot, you're gonna spend the 900,000," he told the committee, comparing a 12-year Pivot lifecycle to higher long-term maintenance on lower-cost infill products.
Witnesses and district representatives who had experience with Pivot also spoke during the presentation. An injury prevention specialist said lower-extremity injuries—rotational torque injuries in particular—were substantially reduced in their experience on Pivot fields. Representatives from other districts described reduced heat and maintenance burdens and, in one case, new community rental revenue from opening a Pivot field year-round.
Committee members pressed staff about procurement and total project costs, noting removal and disposal of old turf and potential recycling costs were not yet detailed. Facilities staff said the vendor participates in cooperative procurement vehicles (CMAS) that allow use of pre-vetted contracts; staff said they would bring the Burroughs replacement proposal and any recommended cooperative-contract action to the board for approval.
The committee requested clearer accounting of removal/disposal costs and asked staff to inventory other district fields to evaluate economies of scale or coordinated replacements. Staff said the district currently has two turf fields (both past their expected shelf life) and that wear and heavy community use concentrate deterioration at the shared hosting field.
Next step: staff will present the Burroughs High School field assessment and vendor proposal to the school board for consideration, including any cooperative-contract procurement and additional cost clarifications.
