Skokie Baseball Field Is Nation's 1st With New Cooling Technology

SKOKIE, IL — An artificial turf baseball field in Skokie is the first in the nation treated with a new form of cooling technology that reduces surface temperatures by 30 to 50 degrees during warm weather months, according to its manufacturer.

Laramie Park, 5251 Sherwin Ave., uses synthetic turf with infill — the tiny bits of rubber that keep blades of fake grass standing tall — that has been pre-treated with a cooling solution created by the Cincinnati-based company T-Cool.

According to the company, whenever activated by moisture, whether it be humidity, rain or watering the field, the solution cools the entire turf system and brings the overall field temperature more in line with that of a natural surface.

The infill treatment for the baseball complex was not the only time the district used a cooling solution at Laramie Park. According to the company, the park district purchased the T-Cool's pre-treated sand for use in the park's playground.

“The Skokie Park District has been more than happy with the performance of the T-Cool treated infill, especially in light of the high amount of use the field has already experienced once it opened in mid-summer,” Skokie Superintendent of Parks Corrie Guynn said in a news release from the company.

Perfect Turf, a Rolling Meadows company and the largest supplier in the region, installed the pre-treated infill at Laramie Park's baseball fields, according the release.

The $1.5 million renovation of Laramie Park was officially completed in September, adding new back stops and dugouts for Caleb Field on its west side, a new playground, new pickleball courts and more. The project was partially funded by a $400,000 state Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant awarded in February 2019.

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The temperature of synthetic turf fields can consistently exceed 150 degrees during warm weather months, according to the T-Cool release. It pointed to studies from researchers at Penn State and Brigham Young universities suggesting that playing on fields hotter than 122 degrees is not considered safe — and some surface temperatures can reach up to 200 degrees.

Without a cooling agent, synthetic turf fields would be considered unsafe "on many days" during the hottest part of the year, according to the company.

"The Skokie Park District is led by proactive visionaries, and it’s refreshing to see the leadership recognize and embrace the importance of integrating a cooling solution to the new synthetic turf baseball field at Laramie Park,” T-Cool Managing Director Jacob Tetrault said in the release. “We continue to get more inquiries on T°Cool® as community leaders become more educated on the potential heat issues with synthetic turf.”

During 2020, the company has installed its technology in 35 states. It also announced its first international installation — five fields on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, including its venue for hosting international soccer matches.