2020 sports project of the year - single field over 75,000 sq. ft. Category

Sligh magnet school field by foreverlawn of tampa bay

Project Participants:

• ForeverLawn of Tampa Bay
  
• ForeverLawn, Inc.
• Sportsfield Specialties, Inc.
  

Sligh Middle is a Hillsborough County magnet school located in Old Seminole Heights, a community with a rich local history, a majority population of African American and Hispanic residents and, unfortunately, a graduation rate of 28-29%, compared to 86.2% for the entire school district. It is by far the most under-served area in Tampa.

In 2019, ForeverLawn of Tampa Bay joined a public-private partnership with other community leaders, led by activist Thaddeus Bullard (a.k.a. WWE Wrestler Titus O’Neil) to improve Sligh’s school facilities and create opportunities for the surrounding community. The centerpiece of the project is a regulation football field, and students can boast the first and only middle school field in the district.

It has been used for large-scale community events like the annual Joy of Giving, Bullard’s charity Christmas celebration; for training during quarantine by pro NFL players like Jameis Winston; and is slated for events hosted for Super Bowl LV (for which ForeverLawn of Tampa Bay is an approved vendor).

Occupying an area that was once only an unused meadow of scrub brush and weeds on school property, construction included full excavation, creation of a retention pond, installation of a full drainage system, curbing, track, goal posts and soccer goals by Sportsfield Specialties, Inc., and SportGrass Edge XP synthetic turf system, which included ground stabilization fabric, flat drains in a herringbone leading to perimeter drains, 7 inches of compacted base with two sizes of base material and both tufted and cut-in numbers and lines for football and soccer. SportsGrass Edge XP was selected for its superior student-player safety, lower infill requirements (1.6 lbs/sf for the project), and overall quality in performance and appearance.