BIDDEFORD — It was just about a year ago that the future of Waterhouse Field, where for generations Biddeford residents have cheered the Biddeford High School Tiger football and other sports teams, was in question.

The bleachers were deemed unsafe and the field was closed. But thanks to the generosity of volunteers and some creative financing by City Council — by refinancing the $34 million bond to renovate Biddeford High School — new bleachers were installed, along with new lighting, fencing and a scoreboard. Soon a new press box is going up and the last major feature, new synthetic turf, is planned to be installed this summer and be ready for the fall sports season.

“It would be fantastic as a whole for the Athletic Department,” BHS Athletic Director Dennis Walton.

Although Waterhouse Field is owned by the Waterhouse  Commission, not the city or the School Department, Ray said he feels comfortable upgrading the field as the schools have a perpetual lease on the property and can use it as long as they want.

Ray recommended to the School Committee a woven turf field, which would be one of the few in the state, and is manufactured by a Saco company. Supposedly better than the tufted turf that’s on most Maine school fields, the turf proposed to be installed will have a 10-year warranty and a 12- to 15-year expected lifespan, versus the seven-year warranty and about 10-year lifespan of the other type of turf. Woven turf is more durable than tufted turf, Ray said, and is more similar to naturaI grass. In addition, because of reduced maintenance and other costs, Ray said, the cost of the synthetic turf and a grass field is about “break even.” He added that the replacement cost is less expensive than initial installation because much of the price for is not for the synthetic turf itself but for ground work and drainage.

There are a number of reasons artificial turf should replace the natural grass that is currently at Waterhouse Field, Ray said.

“It brings equity to our athletic teams, it brings regulation fields and most of all it bring playability,” he said. For instance, last week’s rain limited the time teams could use grass fields, Ray said, but such weather wouldn’t be a problem with synthetic turf.

Teams that will use the field include boys and girls soccer, field hockey, boys and girls lacrosse and of course, football.

With the addition of synthetic turf, Waterhouse Field “brings relief to other fields in the city, Ray said. There aren’t enough athletic fields in Biddeford, according to a report commissioned by the School Department, while Waterhouse Field is underused.

By installing synthetic turf, the whole community can take greater advantage of Waterhouse Field, Ray said. It can be used for some middle school games as well as adult recreation sports, he said.

Whether or not the turf is put in place depends on the will of the voters. The Biddeford School Committee included the cost, about $900,000 in the about $37 million Biddeford School Department budget for fiscal year 2019 that residents will vote for on June 12. A budget, which Superintendent of Schools Jeremy Ray says is only an increase of $17,000 in expenditures of the current year budget, which is a .08 cents raise, and would add less than 1 cent added to the property tax rate.

Another field that will get upgrades at BHS is the track field at Brother Hebert Field on Maplewood Avenue across from the school. The cost for a new track is included in the current year budget. Reconstruction of that track will also take place this summer, said Ray. 

The restructuring will allow room for more teams on the tracks and “it will us to host larger meets, which will be nice for the community,” Walton said.

— Associate Editor Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324, or dmendros@journaltribune.com.