New Turf Okayed for Central Mountain’s Malinak Stadium

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – Central Mountain’s Malinak Stadium will be getting a new turf this summer.

The Keystone Central School Board on Thursday night approved an agreement with Keystone Sports Construction of Exton, PA for installation of the new artificial surface and gear to help maintain it. The turf cost is $423,321 and with accompanying maintenance equipment the final price tag will be around $463,000. It was noted the maintenance gear can also be used to improve the grass fields at the Bucktail High School sports complex.
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The vote to approve was 8-0. There were no comments from the public at the virtual meeting. Board member Randy Strouse had some questions about the expense involved, but joined his fellow board members in approving the new surface. Board member Eric Probert was unable to attend.

District superintendent Jacquelyn Martin said the contractor has been told to have the new turf down in time for a planned August graduation ceremony for this year’s senior class.

Keystone Central School District Supervisor of Property Services, Rob Pacella, had told the school board last month that Keystone Sports Construction and two other prospective contractors provided similar quotations, but Pacella said the district received “good feedback” on Keystone’s performance elsewhere, including a new artificial turf field at Midd-West High School.

The new turf comes with a 10-year warranty and has a thickness of 2 ¼”. The present Malinak turf has passed its estimated life span and district officials have raised safety concerns about its continued use. The stadium is used for a variety of purposes during the course of the school year.

For the first time in memory, students who participate in athletics in the Central Mountain and Bucktail systems will not have to pay a participation fee. On the recommendation of Superintendent Martin, the school board gave unanimous approval to set the fee at zero for the next school year; it had been $75 per student this past year. Later, the superintendent said imposition of the fee created “great inequality” among students. Martin noted the district was able to achieve a tax-free budget, even with elimination of that fee, for next year.