A steady rain fell across the state last Wednesday morning and turned Barrington High School's well-worn lacrosse field into a sloppy, muddy mess. Most of the year, the weather plays a significant role in the scheduling of sports practices and games at the high school. Too much rain means soft fields, and soft fields are easy prey for cleated athletes.

George Finn, the high school's director of athletics and student activities, said it's very difficult balancing the needs of the numerous teams — Barrington offers more sports than most schools in the state — with the needs of the school's few athletic fields.

Mr. Finn knows there are a few possible solutions, including the installation of an artificial playing surface, like FieldTurf. Its synthetic composition makes it immune to weather conditions and as safe as real grass.

But while some officials across Barrington have started talking about the possible construction of an artificial turf facility in town, Barrington High School is not being included in the discussion. Officials from the youth soccer and lacrosse leagues, and to a lesser extent Barrington Pop Warner Football, have reportedly met with Barrington Town Manager Peter DeAngelis to discuss the potential project. Mr. DeAngelis said the "very preliminary" discussions have also included St. Andrew's School, although officials at the small private school in town would not comment.

Mr. DeAngelis said local public school officials have been involved in previous conversations about a synthetic surface, but have played a minimal role in recent discussions.

"It's an exciting concept, but I don't think they can afford this right now," Mr. DeAngelis said on April 30.

He said adding the schools into the discussion might present problems to the other groups interested — he said other officials were concerned school teams might dominate usage of the fields. "It's a little tricky."

"What's caused the recent excitement is that the parties interested have shown a willingness to contribute funds. That's important ... we [the town] are not going to go to the taxpayers to fund the whole project," Mr. DeAngelis said.

Subcommittee formed

Meanwhile, the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission recently formed a subcommittee to investigate the potential for installing an artificial playing surface. Members Andy Soutter, who joined the group last month, and Mike Seward will spearhead the subcommittee.

Melissa Horne, chairwoman of the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission, said the two main groups involved so far are soccer and lacrosse, but added, "Anybody who wants to bring money to the table" is welcomed to get involved in the discussion.

She said the town has approximately $400,000 remaining from a recreation bond taxpayers voted through years ago. The bond was for $2 million, and the bulk of the funds went to reconstruct the high school tennis courts and the middle school basketball courts.

"We're not at a point where we know how much money this is going to cost or how much the town would be willing to contribute," she said.

Mr. DeAngelis said a synthetic field would likely carrying a price tag of between $700,000 and $1 million to install.

'Beat up' fields

Mr. Finn said the condition of the natural grass high school fields at the start of the fall and spring seasons is usually quite good — he said officials fertilize the fields and use turf blankets to ensure they are ready for the athletes.

But regardless of the efforts made, wear and tear take their toll. By the middle of the spring season, some fields can appear "beat-up."

"They work hard on the fields, but they're still in rough shape," Mr. Finn said. "We're doing everything we can."

Mr. Finn said he's been actively collecting information about synthetic surface fields and has contemplated possible locations at the high school. He said thought should also be given about the supporting facilities necessary for building a turf field.

"You need to plan for the auxiliary things, like parking," he said.

How it works

According to a website for FieldTurf — one of the more popular synthetic surface fields — the fiber surface was created to mimic real grass. "FieldTurf's grass fibers are surrounded and stabilized by a blend of 'synthetic earth' — FieldTurf's patented mixture of smooth, rounded silica sand and rubber granules," states the website.

By Josh Bickford

jbickford@eastbaynewspapers.com