Resurfacing Seddon Fields - June Update
The Committees and staff very much hope that you are enjoying the season, despite the less than ideal circumstances this year.
At the turn of the year, we were delighted when Auckland Council confirmed that they would be replacing the artificial turf at Seddon Fields. The turf was well past its intended replacement date, and usage had been much more than originally forecast, so it was well past it's used by date.
Why did the club decide to replace the turf during the season?
The club did not choose to replace the turf in season. The turf replacement project is delivered by Auckland Council in conjunction with a turf provider. The club use the turf for 12 months of the year with no good time to be without the turf.
When was the project due to be finished?
The club were advised last year it would take 6-10 weeks to complete and the start date would be 8th March, finishing between 7th-23rd May depending on what condition the surface was in under the existing turf.
What is causing the delays?
The world has been affected by COVID in many ways and this has had an impact on materials required to deliver the project. The turf is coming in four containers from Germany and the new environmentally friendly fill that will replace the rubber beads is coming from the USA in five containers. Shipping routes have been disrupted and although all containers are en route to NZ, they are not due in until mid June-mid July.
When is the turf due to be finished now?
With the information known to date on shipping routes, the turf is unlikely to be finished until August. The contractor may be able to complete a part delivery of the area, with one field completed and able to be used, then a second field, and then the final fields.
What are the piles of material in the carpark?
This is the shock pad that will go under the turf, which assists with the landing on the turf and preventing injuries. The old turf did not have a shock pad underneath it. The shock pad cannot be laid until the turf has arrived as the shock pads need to be held down by the turf.
Were any issues found when the old turf was lifted?
It was found that the compacted surface underneath the turf, known as the pavement, had depressed by 60-80mm in areas across the whole turf area and this is what has caused flooding in previous seasons. The pavement has now been leveled again with additional aggregate added and bought up to an even surface in readiness for the new turf to be laid.
Why can’t part of the carpark be returned to the club with the delayed work?
The contractor has advised that the carpark is still required as when large vehicles come in with machinery and deliveries, the area is needed for the vehicles to enter the construction zone, offload their deliveries, turn and safely exit.
When will the new MOTAT carpark be ready?
The first phase of this project, delivering 155 carparks is due to be completed in July.
The WSAFC staff and volunteer committees have all been working behind the scenes with Auckland Council, other clubs and the contractors to find solutions to the problems that the extended delays have caused. This has been a constant challenge with delivery of football on a daily basis and goes to show how lucky the club has been as this is what clubs who don’t have access to turf face every season.
We all appreciate the patience and tolerance shown by our members. We knew it was going to be short term pain for a long term gain – we just didn’t know this was the situation we would find ourselves in.
