‘Somebody dropped the ball’ on new field construction, says Muhlenberg superintendent
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Muhlenberg can’t play football at its home stadium Friday night because of a construction defect and the school superintendent, Dr. Joseph Macharola, is livid about it.
“We can’t believe what happened here,” Macharola said after defects in the newly installed artificial playing surface were discovered. “Somebody really dropped the ball. Whoever’s in charge of this company, they’ve got a lot of explaining to do with us.”
The school district has moved its home game, scheduled for Friday against Daniel Boone, to Kutztown University, citing safety concerns. Macharola said the school’s engineering firm discovered abnormalities on the field following the season-opener Aug. 23.
The school district released a short statement Thursday morning, explaining that a recent “safety inspection,” uncovered “a manufacturing defect in the rubber fill of the turf.”
Installation of stadium turf, replacing the grass surface, was approved by the Muhlenberg School Board in February. The project was estimated to cost $1.4 million. It was completed just before the Aug. 23 opener.
Macharola said that representatives from the companies which designed, installed, and produced materials for the artificial turf surface were to meet today at the school to discuss resolution of the issue.
Macharola indicated that the problem stems from substandard rubber fill below the turf, which was provided by a Pittsburgh company he referred to as “Liberty.”
There is a Liberty Tire Recycling in Pittsburgh that manufactures synthetic turf components.
Muhlenberg has played just one game on the stadium field, its season-opener against Schuylkill Valley, since the new surface was installed earlier this summer.
“How is it that we received a (shipment) of bad fill?” Macharola said. “Their quality control is very suspect. I am not a very happy person. We trusted that we were getting a quality product.”
Muhlenberg is scheduled to play at home the next two weeks, Sept. 13 against Lebanon and Sept. 20 against Gov. Mifflin. Those games will have to be moved off campus if the problem is not corrected.
The Muhls have five home games scheduled this season; it’s possible they could play only two at home.
“I don’t want our kids losing a season because of someone who did not take (this) process seriously,” Macharola said. “We trusted that we were getting the right equipment and the right fill here.
“You must fix this situation that you put the district in. They’ve gotta get this done. They’ve got five days. We’re not gonna lose our football season. I’m not gonna allow our kids to be cheated. You will get in here and you will fix this. We’ll put the lights on and you can work 24 hours a day (if needed).
“I don’t want our kids (denied). I don’t want our kids suffering because someone at a company didn’t care enough to make sure that they were putting a quality product out there that they should have.”
While he expects immediate action, Macharola is also concerned about the long-term health of the field.
“I want guarantees that the district will not be hosed down the line,” he said. “If it means you’ve got to take this (turf) up at the end of the season and put new turf down, then that’s what you’re going to do. And we’re going to make sure that that happens. There’s no way the district should be on the short end of the stick.”
