Ocean City's Carey Field May Get Artificial Upgrade

Ocean City Council took the next step toward bringing artificial turf to Carey Field Thursday night.

Council passed an ordinance on first reading to appropriate $1,435,000 and borrowing $1,363,250 for various improvements, including installing a turf field at Carey Stadium.

The field is used by the high school’s athletic teams as well as the Ocean City Nor’easters semi-professional soccer team. Council President Anthony Wilson was absent.

The City would appropriate $1,250,000 and borrow up to $1,187,500 for work on the project.

According to City Finance Director Frank Donato, the City also has $500,000 in supplementary funds available, bringing the total amount the City could set aside to $1.75 million. The track project will be done independent of the field project.

Overall costs could be reduced by between $10,000 and $20,000, according to Jim Mallon.

According to Mallon, the City spends about $90,000 to resod the field every other year, and sometimes has to resod every year, depending on weather. It also spends $10,000 on irrigation. He said the City could about $6,500 by not repainting the lines for a turf field each year, and about $7,500 on fertilizer.

He said Washington Township High School in Gloucester County reports about a 40 percent reduction in injuries.

Resident David Allegretto spoke during the public comment portion, and cited statistics that showed college football teams who use artificial turf report 15 percent fewer injuries overall, and 11 percent fewer instances of concussions. He added that today’s turf is more like real grass than its predecessor, such as the turf used at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

Mallon said longevity depends on how often the field is used.

“Some people use their fields every day, which would be different than our usage,” Mallon said. “We could get 10-12 years of useful life out of it. We could get 16 years, but that would be the extreme.”

The field can also be used to attract new business to Ocean City. People who otherwise wouldn’t have visited may come to the city to play on the field or watch their children play in a high school athletic event, and take notice of the other amenities the City has to offer.

Mallon couldn’t project what the revenues might be, but said there are teams who “can’t wait to play on a turf field in Ocean City.”

“I can’t solicit people to use the field before we have one,” Mallon said.

The public hearing and final approval is scheduled for Sept. 25. If approved, the project would have to go out to bid.

“In a perfect world, we could begin construction in November and have it finished in time for the spring,” Mallon said.

The ordinance also included the appropriation of $150,000 and the borrowing of up to $142,500 for a new fire truck.

There was also a line item for the appropriation of $35,000 and the borrowing of $33,250 for construction, rehabilitation and repair of multiple buildings, including the installation of a generator at the 46th Street firehouse.

The attached photo of a high school football game being played on Carey Field is a Patch file photo.