Stadium on schedule, turf and all

COSTA MESA — It can take the wear and tear of cleats, sweat, and the crash of a linebacker stopping a running back in his tracks.

But anyone who comes near the artificial turf in Estancia High’s new football stadium with anything other than water risks absorbing the wrath of Principal Phil D’Agostino.

That’s because the turf, which should be installed after the drainage system is complete, doesn’t absorb substances such as sports drinks and sodas the same way natural grass does. In fact, pouring anything other than water on the turf would ruin it, D’Agostino said.

The high-tech stuff, which lasts for years and requires less upkeep than grass, is composed of several different man-made materials, typically including ground-up recycled rubber.

And sugar rots rubber, hence the strict no-food-or-drink-near-the-turf rule.

“It’s extremely expensive to repair a field like this,” said D’Agostino, who estimated one square foot of turf costs about $1,400. “That’s why a lot of preventative measures and education about what has to be done is [needed].”

The turf hasn’t even been installed on the field yet; construction on the new stadium for Estancia and Costa Mesa high schools is about 30% complete, project inspector and construction supervisor Mike Shotwell said.

“Gatorade, if you don’t clean it up, will sink in and cause problems with the way the system’s put in,” Shotwell said. “So any of those kind of drinks aren’t compatible. If they wanted to dump a tub of Gatorade on the coach’s head when they win, it would destroy the field.”

Well, that leaves one less thing for coaches Mike Bargas (Estancia) and Jeremy Osso (Costa Mesa) to worry about.

Shotwell — also a building inspector with the Division of State Architects — estimated the drainage system for the field, similar to the one at Orange Coast College, would be installed in September, and sometime after that, the turf will be laid.

The piles of plywood and concrete on the site have started to take the shape of the new fieldhouse, which nosy peekers can spot driving by on Placentia Avenue.

The fieldhouse, which features separate facilities for home and visiting teams, down to the locker rooms, concession stands, and restrooms, is about 50% complete, Shotwell said.

The symmetrical design of the fieldhouse will mean spectators from rival schools can support their teams without actually interacting at the concession stands, which could come in handy during a particularly heated contest, D’Agostino said.

The asphalt foundation for the all-weather track is complete, and ready to be covered by the rubberized surface, and all of the infrastructure for plumbing and electrical is complete as well, Shotwell said. The long jump pits are in, as well as the pole vault runway.

Based on the current timetable — this is month five of the 14-month project — the stadium will be completed on time by May 2008.

“You will definitely have ’08 graduations in here,” Shotwell said.

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com.