Wednesday morning, there was a flurry of action at the Bridgeport Recreation Complex. And unlike most days, it had nothing to do with athletes competing in their various sports.

 

According to Bridgeport Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Joe Shuttleworth, Martin’s Turf Care of Fairmont is currently in the process of utilizing special equipment to aerify the fields at the Rec Complex. Shuttleworth said the process is part of a healthy maintenance program for any heavy utilized turf field.

 

The company is using a powered ‘Aerocore’ machine, which is mounted on a tractor to drive hollow spikes into the turf. The spikes create a void in the soil and a plug is pulled from the ground. As the process continues, the cores fly out of the back of the machine. The contractor follows behind the ‘Aerocore’ with what Shuttleworth descried as a top dressing machine, which is used to mix a special type of sand over the grass surface.

 

“We will then allow the plugs – a cylinder shaped piece of soil, roots and grass – to dry in the sun. They soon become brittle and we then use a mat drag to break up the plugs. The mat drag will also spread the sand and broken up soil material. The sand and loose material falls into the holes,” said Shuttleworth.

 

The reason for the process stems from the compaction that takes place on the fields at the facility. In West Virginia – Bridgeport included – most soils have high clay content. Heavily trafficked areas on the field, such as where the soccer goalies and base coaches stand, are particularly prone to these issues.

 

“This compacts the soil and makes it very difficult for grass to grow or survive. When you add moisture to the mix, you compound the problem,” said Shuttleworth. “This occurs on days which have been rainy and leaves the turf areas moist. The compaction becomes problematic.”

Shuttleworth said the process does several valuable things for the turf areas. The first, he said, being the flow of air to the root system. That allows the root systems of the plants to grow deeper into the clay soil, which also gets water and nutrients deeper at the root level.

 

The process also aids in drainage. During a rain event, Shuttleworth said the water has difficulty passing through the clay soil material and tends to pool and slowly soak in. That situation creates issues in the spring when the fields generally can’t be shut down for days at a time due to moisture.

 

 “The sand material will aid in draining the water from the surface areas,” said Shuttleworth. “The breaking of the plugs and dragging in also serves to level the overall surface, making for a better playing surface for our athletes.”

 

This process is one the Parks and Recreation hopes to complete every few years. Staff there hopes and believes it will increase the health and playability of the turf surfaces, allowing Parks and Rec to manage turf wear more consistently through the busy spring and summer seasons.

 

While play and practices will continue, coaches and others involved with activities have been notified about the work being done. The work may create short-term surface inconsistencies.