Starting in the first week of May, Palo Alto High School will begin a three-month endeavor to replace the football field and cover it with state of the art synthetic turf.

The construction, expected to last until August, was made possible by an anonymous donation intended to improve the athletic facilities at Paly.

“It’s really nice to finally get a new turf field that is super nice because our field wasn’t very good. Anytime when it’s been raining, playing on turf is better because you don’t have to worry about how well the field is holding up,” said junior quarterback Will Brandin.

The move to turf looks to significantly reduce the amount of time, energy and money spent maintaining the field. According to Brett Larson, a Palo Alto High School employee who prepares and maintains the field, “with the new turf, we will save more water.”

With 10 sprinkler heads pumping out five gallons of water a minute for 24-28 minutes a day on an average of six days a week, Paly looks to save roughly 420,000 gallons of water per year.

Prior to the new turf, two maintenance workers would spend 6-7 hours a week painting the field, which will now be unnecessary.

Paly Principal Jacquie McEvoy said, “[At my previous school in San Mateo] we probably saved $12,000 per year [by switching to turf].

Head athletic trainer Stacey Kofman says there are no statistics that show any discrepancies in the number of injuries on turf vs. grass, so the major concern will be the heat of the field.

Instead of absorbing the heat of the sun as natural grass does, synthetic turf reflects it, which, according to Kofman, could become a huge problem. “It can get 20 degrees hotter on the field, so on a 90 degree summer day, it will feel like 110 degrees. There will be a lot more dehydration issues.”

Athletic Director and Varsity football coach Earl Hansen is overseeing the entire operation and has designed the field.

“The field will display PALO ALTO in one end-zone and VIKINGS in the other. The field will alternate between dark and light shades of green every five yards and if we have enough money left, we hope to have a big PA at the 50 yard line,” Hansen said.

The field will have permanent lines for both soccer and football, as well as lines to mark distances for the shot put and discus for track and field.

The donator, originally granting upwards of $1,000,000, learned that Paly could only accept the money if Gunn High School were to receive an equal donation in an effort by the district to maintain equality between the district’s two high schools.

The man responded by doubling his donation in order to ensure the grant could pass. “He was willing to double the donation,” said Principal McEvoy. “It shows how strong the support for our community is.”

Although most view the turf as a clear upgrade, many feel there is no substitute for a well-kept grass field.

“Turf is better than regular grass, but nothing beats very well maintained grass fields,” said varsity soccer player Matthew Nguyen.

“My preference is to have a field like Stanford’s. However, we don’t have enough maintenance required for that kind of upkeep,” said Hansen.

“Personally, I prefer grass to turf because it’s softer and easier on the knees and back and doesn’t burn your feet, however, considering the state of Paly’s grass fields, on which it is virtually impossible to get a true bounce and control a soccer ball, I think turf will be a great addition for the soccer teams.” said Paly senior and Stanford-bound soccer player Teresa Noyola.

With concerns arising about interference with the track schedule, Hansen has assured the track team that few athletes will be affected and has made arrangements with nearby Menlo Atherton High School to allow Paly’s CCS track athletes to practice there.

The new field will be broken in at Paly football’s first home game of the 2008 season on Sept. 19 against Archbishop Mitty.