Sage Hill School’s implementation of turf in Town Square started July 27, and this project was completed Aug. 14. John Bicking is the director of facilities and was one of the leaders of the project so he is aware of the motivation behind this undertaking, the process taken to complete it and the potential future consequences of this decision.

“The reasoning behind it was multifold; first of all, it was getting costly to overseed or re-sod sections annually. In addition, with the water shortage and drought situation, it made more sense for the project to to take place,” Bicking explained.

“Even though we mainly save reclaimed water, it is still water, so it was the ethical thing to do. The turf cuts down on the amount of maintenance required, including the use of fertilizer and pesticide. In fact, it reduces the maintenance by approximately 75 percent, both in terms of activity and cost,” Bicking said.

Bicking said there were many potential contractors for the project, but the task leaders ultimately chose EasyTurf since another school recommended this company. There was a structured process the crew followed to add the turf. Firstly, the removal and sod machine cut the grass and rolled it up, and the workers recycled this grass. Then they graded and compacted the land to get a flat surface. Next, they rolled the turf carpet out, which was bonded into strips and implemented layer-by-layer across Town Square.

In just more than two weeks, the project was completed.

Students possess varying opinions on the addition of turf in Town Square., “I like the turf because I feel that it makes our school a step closer to being eco-friendly,” sophomore Mia Lehavi said.

Fellow sophomore Alfonso Sanchez Jr. provided his outlook by commenting,

“The turf is good because it’s drought-conscious but I personally believe that natural grass is better than turf. So, it’s a compromise.”

“I think it’s important to conserve, senior Buck Bukaty added.  “But, other than this aspect, you can’t argue too much for AstroTurf being better; ultimately, it’s a toss-up.

“It took away the last natural part of Sage,” sophomore Beau-Michelle Riedelsheimer said.

Teachers also provided their outlooks on the implementation of AstroTurf.

English teacher Joan Alvarez said “I initially did not like it because it looks non-organic. Still, I completely understand others’ reasons to support it. Overall, I now feel that it is a positive change for our school.”

Science teacher Tyler Zarubin’s observed  “that the turf has cultivated community. From an aesthetics standpoint, it’s nicer; also, it is consistent and relieves burden on facilities. I prefer natural over artificial but, in this case, the benefits outweigh the consequences,” he said.