Hempfield Area school board approves plan to convert four grass fields to synthetic turf

The Hempfield Area school board has approved plans to convert the playing surface on four of its fields from grass to synthetic turf.

The school board voted 7-2 in favor of moving forward with the proposed plan for synthetic turf fields.

District board member Vince DeAugustine told KDKA in a statement that the decision was not made lightly and that the project will help address issues like safety, field availability, maintenance costs, and the ability to support both school and community use.

"We are excited for the future of Hempfield Area School District," DeAugustine said.

Last week, Hempfield superintendent Dr. Mark Holtzman said the proposed turf project was part of a larger planning effort as the district hopes to begin major renovation work at the high school this upcoming summer. 

"That project is currently out to public bid," Holtzman said in a statement. "Additionally, we are one of the few 6A high schools in the region without synthetic surfaces beyond our stadium."  

The larger renovations at the high school will likely be done sometime in 2029, but the baseball, softball and multipurpose turf fields could all be refurbished by this coming fall.