Turlock’s Joe Debely Stadium closed indefinitely; turf deemed unplayable

Hut, hut … yikes!

Just three days away from the start of the high school football season, Turlock Unified School District has closed Joe Debely Stadium indefinitely because of an unplayable surface.

In separate compaction tests conducted by MondoTurf and district officials, the once cutting-edge artificial turf — part of a $3.6 million renovation of the community facility — was found to be too hard for activity and sport.

Turlock High athletic director Mike Brown said the issue is the rapid disintegration of the eco-friendly infill — the pellets that help soften impact. As the infill has broken down, the field has hardened to the point of Tuesday’s startling announcement.

Brown and Pitman High athletic director Dave Walls were notified of the closure during a meeting at the district office Tuesday. There is no timetable for the stadium’s reopening.

“I’m no expert, but it doesn’t feel like some of the other fields that we go to and play on,” Walls said. “But again, I’m no expert. I assumed everything was good … until we found out otherwise.”

“We weren’t given any timetable,” he added. “We had a meeting (Tuesday) and now we’re working off the idea that the stadium isn’t going to be playable. It’s been a crazy day. It went from a regular school day to getting an email that said we had to go to the (district office) for a meeting.”

Brown said the issue came to light in April following a test by district officials, who placed a call for help to the global turf giant. Brown said it took nearly three months for MondoTurf to conduct its own test. Representatives returned Saturday with “the miracle worker,” Brown said, a machine that resembled a riding lawn mower. The machine “fluffed” the turf with a fork.

No miracle was performed.

Brown said the district is handcuffed by the warranty agreement, and the first-year athletic director fears this battle may play out in court. The turf is under warranty through 2018.

Brown said the infill was supposed to last “10 to 15 years before it would do anything. It didn’t even last six years.”

“Right now, we’re fighting with them,” he added. “We’re at their mercy. We can’t do anything because it would void the warranty. It’s frustrating.”

The closure couldn’t have come at a worse time. Joe Debely Stadium was set to host Pitman’s season opener with Downey Friday and a youth football jamboree Saturday.

Turlock and Pitman have 11 scheduled home games between the two, including their Harvest Bowl rivalry game Nov. 4. Turlock also uses the facility for practice.

“Right now, there’s no contingency plan,” said Brown, whose football program will practice on baseball and softball diamonds.

Meanwhile, Walls is scrambling to find another venue for Friday’s game.

He has spoken to Downey athletic director Stephen Garrett about moving the game to a Modesto City Schools site.

Downey isn’t an option.

Chuck Hughes Stadium will be occupied by Escalon and Enochs, but Walls said Johansen’s Dan Gonsalves Stadium is available. He’s also inquired about Modesto Junior College’s Pirate Stadium.

“For the sake of coaches and the kids, whatever we do, I want to get it taken care of Wednesday so (head coach Tom Tyler) and his staff can just coach,” Walls said. “We have to get through this week and then we go on the road (for two weeks), so we get a little respite there. We really do hope that we can get this settled, get it situated, but we’ll have to wait and see. That would be terrible if we were worrying about this all year.”

Six years ago, the district saw much greener pastures ahead, despite contentious City Council debate and a short-lived lawsuit from a citizens group.

With a large financial contribution from the city’s redevelopment fund — $2.8 million — the district entered a partnership with MondoTurf ahead of the 2010 football season largely because of the eco-friendly infill.

At the time, it felt like money well spent.

“We are pleased with our decision to purchase and install a MondoTurf Ecofill synthetic field,” said former Deputy Superintendent of Business Services Ed Felt, whose words have been used as testimonial on the MondoTurf website. “The Ecofill product was a perfect selection because of its ability to reduce potential hot-field temperatures during our many very hot days in the San Joaquin Valley.”

Brown feels victimized by MondoTurf and its slow-footed approach to make Joe Debely Stadium playable once again.

“The company that put in this field, it’s their responsibility. It’s still under warranty,” Brown said. “It shouldn’t have been two to three months and nothing for another month.

“This is a nationwide company. This isn’t some fly-by-night company. I’m surprised they’ve had this many problems with it. It’s not anybody’s fault in the district. I just can’t believe this company doesn’t stand behind their product.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 9:40 PM with the headline "Turlock’s Joe Debely Stadium closed indefinitely; turf deemed unplayable."