Sunday, September 19, 1999
Firm seeks to improve on grass
Bengals will be first to get blend
BY ANNA GUIDO
Enquirer Contributor
The company motto is “Grass is Our Only Game.”
But S.W. Franks Construction, a Cleveland sports field specialty firm, has something unique in mind for Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium — and it's not all natural.
When the new home of the Cincinnati Bengals opens for the 2000 season, it will sport a surface called “AstroGrass,” a natural/synthetic bluegrass turf system.
It will be the first sports field of its kind in the country.
Old-fashioned grass will grow through a synthetic, woven backing, all on a sand base. An in-ground heating system will keep the grass growing all year; drainage and irrigation systems will complete the package.
“We've been developing this system for years,” said Paul S. Franks, the company's executive vice president. “We've done quite a bit of research on it.”
Hamilton County's $3 million contract with S.W. Franks calls for two natural turf practice fields and one AstroTurf practice field, in addition to the stadium surface. The practice facility is under construction just west of Paul Brown Stadium.
“At first blush, people might think that's a lot of money,” said Hamilton County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus.“But the big thing is the heating system installed under the field.”
“It's not for heating the feet of million-dollar football players or for melting snow,” Mr. Bedinghaus said. “It helps to extend the growing season of the grass, so the field doesn't have to be replaced every fall. It's a cost savings, long term.”
The Bengals' current artificial turf surface at Cinergy Field has an asphalt base.
The AstroGrass field to be installed at the new Paul Brown stadium is the same system planned for the Cincinnati Reds baseball stadium in 2003.
S.W. Franks' development of the new playing surface came as an outgrowth of the company's 1998 takeover by Southwest Recreational Indus tries Inc., a sports and recreation organization that includes AstroTurf as one of its divisions.
S.W Franks' founder, Stan Franks, opened shop 45 years ago as a highway contractor. It later moved on to develop high school athletic complexes and is now part of the largest sports surfacing firm in the world.
In the past year, the firm has installed 18 high-performance natural turf fields at the professional and college level. Among its clients: the new Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens.
“With each field we do, a little more technology comes in,” Mr. Franks said. “The Bengals' field is really going to be in the forefront.”
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