Ratliff Stadium gets New Turf
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Updated: June 1, 2012
Famous 'Friday Night Lights' Ratliff Stadium gets Matrix(R) Turf
Ratliff Stadium is getting a facelift after playing on its previous synthetic turf for 10 years. The Matrix® Turf system by Hellas Sports Construction to be installed this summer will provide the famous stadium with the latest in turf technology and playability. Simultaneously, Permian High School and Odessa High School will also get the same turf system and upgrades to their respective fields.
Cost-savings, safety concerns, and drought conditions in West Texas have prompted Ector County Independent School District to move forward with the construction and installation of sustainable synthetic turf. In addition to a better surface for the athletes, the new synthetic fields will provide the band, which currently practices in a parking lot, a surface closer to what is used in competition.
The ECISD decided to award the project to Hellas Sports Construction because ECISD teams have played on Matrix® Turf, one of Hellas’ proprietary products, and favored it over other synthetic turf fields. District decision makers also received recommendations from Hellas Sports Construction’s existing customers, and valued the benefits of working with a single-source provider – Hellas controls all project-related operations, from manufacturing the turf to planning and construction of the field – making the time-sensitive project easier to manage for ECISD.
Reed J. Seaton, President of Hellas Construction commented, “I am delighted to have the privilege to work on such an iconic stadium.”
Hellas has already begun construction at Permian and OHS and will complete construction in mid-August, before the first football game. Improved drainage, year-round use, and overall safety will allow the new synthetic fields to be utilized for both practice and regular season games, and may enable the district to give its existing practice fields some much-needed attention. Hellas has continually improved the manufacturing technology and construction techniques of its synthetic turf fields to make them more sustainable and safer for athletes.
“The primary purpose is it’s a safety issue,” said David Finely, Director of District Operations in ECISD, and went on to indicate that having the artificial turf fields in place will also reduce water usage, saving the district approximately $93,000 per year.
Hellas Construction, Inc. is one of the largest sport contractors in the United States. While specializing in the general construction of sports facilities and synthetic surfaces, Hellas also champions innovative turf manufacturing, base construction, field, track and tennis installation and maintenance. Hellas controls all business processes to take its quality products directly to customers, including marketing, sales, quality control and project management.
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