UPDATED: District Says Manufacturer of Turf Believes Fields Viability Not Compromised After Floods

Tom Kossoff the new, controversial turf fields were damaged and would never be the same after floods ravaged the the area, leading to a district cleanup cost of $21,800. He implored the school board and top administrators to have Field Turf, the makers of the synthetic turf, test it themselves to examine the viability and possible damage. And some of the results are in.

Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein reported at Monday night's Board of Education meeting that Perry DiPiazza, Regional Vice President of Field Turf said the fields were fine, can withstand flooding, and the "wrinkle" neighbors describe at Stadium Field should not be a problem. Moreover, the school did everything properly DiPiazza said, according to Fishbein, though it should get the bigger debris off more quickly.

Neighbors have repeatedly said it was poor planning to build multi-million dollar turf athletic fields in a flood zone with no warranty from the manufacturer (considered by Field Turf 'an act of God'). Fishbein defended the decision, saying there would be maintenance costs, just as there was with grass.

"We met with Perry before the project and today and he said then as he did today, these fields can survive these events and proper cleaning and repairs need to take place," Fishbein said. "Some of these repairs would have to take place with grass."

But Kossoff said the district isn't being frank about the costs. He claims DiPiazza told him that the district was forewarned that there would be costs over that of grass with turf fields in a flood zone.

"He told me that costs could range from as little as a few thousand dollars in a minor flood to the $20,000 to $50,000 repair bill for this 'medium' flood we had and over $100,000 for a major one like Floyd."

Kossoff continued: "After this first flood, yes, with repairs the fields hopefully will
be back close to original [condition]. However, after the 5th flood, who knows? If we get a Floyd flood then all bets are off!"

Kossoff said his "major problem" with Fishbein's report on Monday was that "there was no full disclosure how open-ended our exposure is for repairing the fields now after a flood."

When asked if Fishbein was 'telling the whole story' as per Kossoff's allegations, Fishbein said he could not speak of what conversations Kossoff had. "What I reported out at the BOE meeting was the substance of my conversation with Perry DiPiazza," he said. He said insurance paid the expenses incurred from Hurricane Floyd and he did not believe turf fields would cost more than what it would under grass. The insurance company is still reviewing the claim as to damage from the recent flood, Fishbein said.

The district reported on Monday night that drainage of the fields should not be compromised because the turf membrane is not perforated like other manufacturers, and the composition of the material deflects water from embedding within the surface.

To help prove a point, DiPiazza had shown pictures of two different sets of turf under water, board members said. One was from Union-Endicott school district in upstate New York, where water levels rose 10 feet and turf survived.

Union-Endicott Athletic Director Joshua Gannon however said that while the turf fields had withstood two floods from the Susquehana River (the last back in 2006), the turf is being replaced after 11 years due to wear and tear. Union-Endicott officials said it was among the "earlier versions" of Field Turf and was expected to last ten years.

Neighbors, notably Kossoff, have also said they believe the field is damaged and will continue to be over the course of its life, which they say will come at a cost. They point to a "wrinkle" on Stadium Field as evidence, and Kossoff says he believes there is dirt and silt that has hardened the field.

The district said it will be performing two maintenance periods per year, which should keep the fields in strong condition and keep the "G-Max" (softness of fields) "proper", Fishbein said.

He noted that Field Turf's operation's man, Jeff Yoos, would be there to test it more thoroughly but DiPiazza told him that "As the weather warms up, that wrinkle should go away just as it has in other areas," according to Fishbein. "He did not see this as problematic." Fishbein also reported that dirt is going to get on any field, as DiPiazza said.

While he said he "recognizes" and "supports" the general positives of turf over grass, Kossoff said "we all must be honest that building these turf fields in this kind of flood way was not a one-time purchase but an ongoing possible budget-buster expenditure."

Kossoff also said that DiPiazza told him he would not say the fields will be 100 percent fixed, but rather "closer to 98 or 99 percent."

DiPiazza did not respond to requests for comment.

The fields, which were cleaned after fecal coliform numbers–believed to have flowed downstream from a sewage treatment plant in Waldwick–were "well below acceptable numbers," are now fully open.

It's something proponents of the turf have said would have been a dream, not a reality under grass fields.