Jeffrey Thomas DeSocio, FOX 11, September 1, 2015
EXCERPTS FROM THE ARTICLE
Work has begun on replacing fields at Woodland Hills El Camino Real, Fairfax and Sotomayor high schools, prompting those schools' football teams to switch home games to road games or find alternative sites, the Los Angeles Times reported. Diego Rivera High is scheduled to begin field repairs in late September. Washington Prep is delaying replacement of its field until after this season.
"The pellets started melting," Richard Yi, El Camino Real athletic director, said of the Conquistadores' home field, which was installed in 2010. "It gradually spread." Fairfax replaced its grass field with all-weather turf in 2012 and football Coach Shane Cox said melting pellets soon created a "clay-like solution" that resulted in a much harder than normal playing surface, The Times reported.
Mark Hovatter, chief facilities executive for the LAUSD, told the newspaper that the district would spend between $500,000 and $800,000 to replace the high school fields this year while it seeks reimbursement from its
contractors. The fields were expected to last between eight and 10 years.