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Construction, originally slated to be done by Aug. 21, could be complete a week or two early, in time for a Vaqueros football scrimmage

Santa Barbara City College is expected to have new artificial turf in late August, just in time for the Vaqueros football team to play a scrimmage against Ventura College.

SBCC’s first scheduled event on the field is Aug. 21. The start time has yet to be announced as of this week.

The artificial turf replacement project at La Playa Stadium was originally slated to be done by Aug. 21, but now it’s predicted to be finished ahead of schedule.

“Things are moving a little bit quicker, and we are hoping to finish a week or two early,” SBCC's former athletic director, Rocco Constantino, told Noozhawk. “The construction teams have been incredible.”

Construction is underway on a renovation project to replace the aging turf field at La Playa Stadium, as well as improve the foundation and repair a drainage system that was damaged during the setup and staging of a New York Philharmonic concert at the stadium in 2017. The drainage system was not repaired after the event at the stadium.

The drainage pipes and some of the other pipes underneath the turf were 20 years old, Constantino said.

When the project is complete, the Vaqueros’ logo will be placed in the middle of the field. The former turf field had the word “Vaqueros.”

SBCC officials put a lot of time into the design of the project, Constantino said.

“One thing we did was different shades of greens mixed in with the field, so it's going to look sharp,” Constantino said. “It's gonna look similar, just an updated model.”

The former turf was deteriorating fast, causing dangerous conditions for those using the field. It also had bare spots in some areas.

“What we were most worried about was the bald spots because students, and not just our students — anybody who uses it — if your cleat goes into a bald spot, and you try to turn,” Constantino said. “You could blow out your knee or your ankle."

The former artificial turf at La Playa Stadium was 11 years old, which was past the average life expectancy.

“The general life span of that product was eight to 10 years,” Constantino said, adding that the turf location “is right in the sun and around the saltwater … it deteriorates at a faster rate.”

The college’s athletics programs and physical education classes utilize the seaside stadium.

Summer training sessions are underway for SBCC's soccer and football teams at other locations in Santa Barbara. SBCC’s football team is practicing at Santa Barbara High School’s stadium on East Anapamu Street during the project. Constantino thanked Todd Heil, the athletic director at the school.

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The City of Santa Barbara is allowing SBCC’s soccer team to use city-owned facilities during the project.

“One of my favorite things about this project is how much the community has come together to help out,” Constantino said. “It wouldn't be possible if everybody didn't work together.”

The facility is open for public use when it is not utilized by the college. Local community groups and high schools often rent it out. Many residents use the college’s stadium steps and track for their workouts.

The college’s track has been closed because it’s an active construction site during the project, and fencing is placed along the bottom of the stadium to block access. People can access the stadium steps while the turf replacement project is happening.

“We want to be able to let the public use it, especially after it had been shut down for the pandemic for so long,” Constantino said.

The project's price tag is between $1.5 million and $2 million, Constantino said. Funding had been earmarked for the turf replacement last year.

In December 2020, the Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees approved the college to move forward on replacing the aging turf field at La Playa Stadium. The project had been tabled or rejected at previous board meetings. 

Last year, student SBCC board of trustees representative Lilli McKinney, who was elected in fall 2020, launched an online petition to seek board approval of the replacement of the turf. It drew more than 1,200 signatures. 

Ohno Construction and FieldTurf USA were selected to do the project.

“We were able to get their best product,” Constantino said of the turf. “We wanted to get the best turf so it would stay durable and stay safe for longer.”

During the past three years, Constantino said, people who frequently see artificial turf fields, such as soccer and football officials, would comment on when SBCC was going to get a new field.

“We had officials and game personnel from other places and other schools asking about the field,” Constantino said.

Safety is the top priority of the project, Constantino said. 

“It's gonna be a safer product and look much better,” Constantino said. “I couldn't be happier for our students, coaches and the public.”

Construction of the new turf broke ground in May.

On Friday, Noozhawk learned that Constantino has stepped down as the athletic director at the college to take an AD position at a school in his home state of New Jersey.

— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) . Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

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