District staff outline plan to replace four artificial turf fields; price exceeds $2 million

Facilities staff told the board the proposal from FieldTurf would replace Dee Serafino and Kotmeyer fields at Downingtown High School West and two fields at Downingtown High School East, with the combined contract value for the four fields exceeding $2 million. Staff said the total includes subsurface repair costs and that the vendor offered roughly a $100,000 credit for early commitment. For the East campus, staff noted recurring subsurface settlement (described in the materials as "sinkholes" and later clarified as subsurface settling) and an estimated minimum of about $97,000 for necessary repairs.

The facilities presentation cited annual G‑Max testing as a safety metric driving replacement timing: "So every year, we do something called G Max testing," a staff member said, explaining that as fields age concussion‑related risk markers trend upward. Staff proposed staggering replacements — West first due to worse condition, East the following summer — and noted about $50,000 in savings if East's crumb‑rubber infill can be recycled. Board members requested the most recent G‑Max reports and trend charts for each field to review the safety data and confirm replacement timing.