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Forestview High School cuts the ribbon for new turf field

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new turf at Joe Alala stadium.

Gaston County Schools Superintendent Dr. Morgen Houchard, Board Chairman Josh Crisp, Forestview High School principal Tammy Mims, senior leadership team and members of the Forestview boys soccer team cut the ribbon to officially open the school’s new artificial turf field at Joe Alala Stadium.
 

With one step inside Joe Alala Stadium at Forestview High School, it’s obvious that a transformation has taken place.  The grass field has been replaced with artificial turf – a vast improvement for a playing field that has been plagued by drainage issues.

Work on the field renovations happened this summer, and ahead of the junior varsity and varsity soccer games on September 9 (the first games to be played on the artificial turf), school officials gathered to cut a ribbon to signify the opening of the new field.

Forestview principal Tammy Mims said, “This new field represents much more than a beautiful new facility.  It is an investment in our students, our school, and the Forestview community.  We are incredibly grateful for the support and commitment that helped make it possible.”

The renovation project was much more than cosmetic; it involved much-needed work to remedy ongoing issues that occur when there is excessive rain.  Mims said the grass field had drainage problems, sink holes, and an uneven playing surface, and the track was not usable for regulation meets. 

Crews with The Motz Group – the general contractor that also installed the turf field at Stuart W. Cramer High School – graded the dirt area, put in the necessary pipes and drains, and created a gravel bed before installing the turf playing field on top.  Once football season ends, a rubber surface eight-lane track will be installed around the field to complete the work.

The project cost approximately $2.5 million, and funds from the 2018 school bond referendum paid for it.  Long-term, the school district would like to upgrade all high school stadium fields.  

Another turf field is coming

As part of the construction at the new campus for W.P. Grier Middle School, the stadium there will have a turf field, thanks, in part, to a $750,000 contribution from the City of Gastonia – the turf field will help heighten the look of the Garrison Blvd. corridor.  Construction of the athletic complex at Grier is expected to be complete in February, weather permitting.

Forestview Turf Ribbon Cutting

A group of people, including young men in athletic wear, cut a ribbon on a green turf field with bleachers and trees in the background.
A group of people in formal and casual attire stand on a green turf field, holding a ribbon, with bleachers and trees visible in the background.
A large white and black letter %22F%22 is emblazoned on the green turf of a football field, with empty bleachers and trees visible in the background under a clear blue sky.
A jaguar logo is painted on the green turf of a football field, with bleachers and trees visible in the background.
A green football field with white yard lines stretches towards a backdrop of bleachers and a dense forest under a clear blue sky.
In the foreground, a soccer player in a black jersey kicks the ball while another player in a white jersey with green shorts watches, and in the background, spectators fill the stadium bleachers.
Two young boys in soccer uniforms are playing on a green field with a soccer ball in the foreground, while a goal and another player are visible in the blurred background.
A young soccer player in a black jersey kicks a ball on a green field, with other players and a fence in the blurred background.
Two young soccer players in black jerseys run on a green field in the foreground, while a scoreboard with team names and game information is visible in the background.
A scoreboard for the Forestview Jaguars stands in front of a line of trees, with a football field in the foreground and an American flag on the right.

Forestview Turf Construction

A yellow skid steer loader works on a dirt track in the foreground, with bleachers and trees forming the background under a clear blue sky.
A dirt track in the foreground leads to empty bleachers and trees under a clear blue sky in the background.
Rows of empty bleachers in the foreground overlook a dirt field and a tree-lined horizon under a clear blue sky.
A dirt track is under construction in the foreground, with bleachers and trees in the background.
Bleachers overlook a dirt track under construction with a line of trees in the background.
A skid steer loader works on a construction site in front of empty stadium bleachers.
Bleachers overlook a construction site with a roller and piles of gravel on a field, backed by a fence and trees.
A paved lot with a yellow pole in the foreground faces empty stadium bleachers under a cloudy sky.
Empty bleachers in the foreground overlook a newly laid, bright green football field with a dense forest in the background.
A football field under construction with artificial turf being laid in the foreground and a dense forest in the background.

VIDEO: Turf Field installed at Forestview High School