FAKE GRASS 'SEED' GROWS COLLEGE FIELD SETS EXAMPLE.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - With all-year sunshine and trusty irrigation systems, grassy sports fields should flourish at Santa Clarita schools.

But overuse and high maintenance costs have officials considering their options - including faux turf for football, soccer, baseball and softball fields.

College of the Canyons in Valencia was the first to take the plunge, sharing the costs of a $1 million artificial turf football field with the William S. Hart Union High School District, which uses the college's Cougar Stadium for football, graduations and other events.

A consultant to the Hart District is completing an analysis of the district's athletic facilities and will address the feasibility of using the pricier artificial turf on playing fields as new schools are built and older ones are renovated, said Rory Livingston, assistant superintendent of business services.

The first draft of the report by Purkiss-Rose/RSI is expected by the end of the month.

``We're looking at a couple of different things as we prepare for some significant reconstruction and expansion,'' Livingston said. ``One thing we're looking at is that if we're replacing irrigation systems, is it time to look at artificial turf instead?''

While it is initially more costly to install - Simi Valley High's new baseball infield cost $20,000 - fake grass spells the end of watering, mowing, reseeding, edging and repairs to sprinkler lines.

And as development spreads across Southern California's desert landscape, water is becoming like gold. Eighty percent of the water used by the region's high schools is for irrigating sports fields, which makes artificial turf attractive for its long-term savings, Livingston said.

``We're going to see the cost of water go through the roof,'' he predicted. ``It's prudent now that we're building schools, renovating schools, to see where we can maybe save some money there.''

Another water-saving plan is under way at Rio Norte Junior High, scheduled to open Aug. 18, and at the planned West Ranch High and Pico Canyon Junior High near Stevenson Ranch. Dual pipes - for potable water and reclaimed water - are in the plans. That way a system would be in place to use less-costly treated waste water for irrigation if water providers made it available, Livingston said.

For College of the Canyons football coach Chuck Lyon, artificial grass is a safety issue. Cougar Stadium is home field not only to Lyon's football team, but also to the college soccer team and football teams from Saugus and Hart high schools, which don't have their own stadiums. Add to that high-intensity use with numerous special events held in the stadium, and the grassy field was balding by season's end.

``The field was so overused it was hazardous,'' said Lyon, whose team will play its first season on the new field this fall. ``How do you put a cost on a kid's knee or a kid's neck?''

He's certain the investment in fake grass was worth it.

``It's awesome; the players love it,'' he said,

At Simi Valley High, alumnus Joe Weaver, now with the New York Yankees, donated the $20,000 to install artificial turf on the baseball infield, said Matt La Belle, Simi's athletic director and head baseball coach.

``We had problems ranging from gophers to not enough water,'' La Belle said. ``Now we don't have to edge it any more, fertilize it. No water. It's unbelievable. It looks like regular grass.''

La Belle said he had looked at replacing the football field with artificial turf and found studies showing it costs a minimum $40 million to properly maintain a high school stadium.

While he's looking for the money for Simi, neighboring Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks and Westlake high schools are installing turf football fields.

In Santa Clarita, district officials await consultant's findings. Livingston expects some fields to be relocated to make more efficient use of space available. And he sees artificial grass possibly playing a role in any redesigns.

``We have people playing on the fields year-round,'' he said. ``We can't keep people off the fields long enough to regrow the grass.''

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Photo:

A worker crosses a hash mark on new artificial turf at College of the Canyons, whose team will play its first season on the new surface this fall.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer