2022 STC sports project of the year - single field over 75,000 sq. ft. Category

macomber stadium by stantec

In the smallest city within the smallest state, encompassed by a prison, train tracks, and a cardboard manufacturing plant, the newly Renovated Macomber Stadium is a hidden gem within the City of Central Falls, Rhode Island. Originally a completely run down and unmaintained natural grass soccer football, baseball, softball, The Narragansett Bay Commission had bigger thoughts in mind for this site. They partnered with the City and hired Stantec's Sport Group and the rest of the design team to provide design for the new synthetic turf field. This field would incorporate Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) practices to treat and infiltrate stormwater runoff draining to the combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfall to the Blackstone River. The GSI design uses a combination of underground pretreatment water quality units, sand filter, and infiltration/storage chambers to maximize surface land use and reduce landscape maintenance requirements. Additional hardscape and landscape features were also included in the design for the site, as well as portable seating intended to provide flexibility around the field. These portable bleachers hydraulically fold up for the purpose of getting towed to other fields or parks in the City during events. 

The field underdrains lead water to perforated pipes, which then connect to manifolds running into the GSI system, which is designed to capture and infiltrate the improvements to the site and the adjacent building roof areas. Underground storage chambers store and direct overflow runoff to a subbase gravel bed for infiltrating. Runoff from the synthetic turf field infiltrates through the sandy subbase into the storage chambers, which also directs the stormwater runoff to the gravel bed area. 

The new synthetic turf field hits especially close to home for Central Falls Mayor James Diossa, who played on the previous run down field in high school and even then dreamed of renovating the field. The new synthetic turf field is now home field for the city’s high school teams. Previously, the high school could not use the natural grass field for over 3 years due to contaminated soils and the field being in such poor condition. The Mayor is quoted as saying “Pride has been restored as well as the confidence to excel in all sports that will be played here. No longer will this stadium be known as the worst field in the state. In fact, it is now the newest, most state-of-the-art field in Rhode Island.” "This completely rebuilt field is a great metaphor for Central Falls. A lot of work went into it." Diossa went on to say "Getting it to this point was not easy and many thought it would be impossible, yet here we are."