Community member outlines Longhorn Stadium turf replacement plan and vendor selection

Josh Schenes, a community member, addressed the board about the Longhorn Stadium turf replacement and described the district’s solicitation and evaluation process. Schenes said the existing turf installed in 2014 is roughly 12 years old and that grounds staff have maintained it to extend usable life; he summarized five sealed vendor quotes that ranged from $704,000 to $525,000 and said Sprint Turf was selected at $525,195 after a five-member evaluation panel.

Schenes described technical differences among vendors (shock pad vs. no shock pad, cooling infill options) and said Sprint Turf offered an 8-year warranty plus a 2-year G-Max guarantee and provided a $50,000 grant toward replacement. Trustees asked clarifying questions about whether the procurement used cooperative purchasing and who served on the evaluation panel; Schenes named panel members and said vendors were solicited through cooperative contracts.

The presentation was delivered during public comment; trustees raised follow-up questions about the large spread in vendor pricing and the specific product differences. No board procurement vote was taken in this meeting; Schenes said the vendor had been awarded through an evaluation process and the district would coordinate the next procurement steps through the appropriate cooperative purchasing channels.