July 21, 2006
Renovations began on June 7 on the new playing surface at Westcott Field. Below is a recap of what has been done through July 21 on the renovation. (Thanks to Sean Reynolds, SMU Turf Manager for the renovation recaps and photos all summer long):
Construction team excavated the old Westcott field and leveled the base to a 0% grade
Team layed out a black felt liner that will be underneath a black rubber liner
Once the liners are down, the team layed out the irrigation system (white pipe) all round the field
The team then connected the "ECS" system (black plastic chambers) to the irrigation system (the chambers are lined in sections from west to east)
Once the chambers were down, the construction team backfilled the areas with ECS with 4 inches of gravel with the conveyor truck
The team then dumped sand on top of the gravel up to the desired field level
Below is what the construction team will do from now until the field is ready to compete on around Sept. 1:
The work is all being done in sections beginning with the north down to halfway, then from the south up to north, then they leave an alley in the middle and work their way back towards the REC center (example would be like painting your house - so you don't paint yourself into a corner.)
This process will continue until the field is completely sanded. Once the entire field is sanded, they will install the NETLON, put the final grade on the sand, and then lay the grass. The grass should be down the first week of August. Then the field will grow-in for a few weeks before play.
