Sunset Meadows Renovation

View all of the Sunset Meadows renovation progress here!

In spring 2015, the Arlington Heights Park District Board of Commissioners began the discussions regarding improvements of the athletic fields at Sunset Meadows Park, located at 700 S. Dwyer Avenue. The discussions included converting two existing turf grass football fields to two synthetic turf fields that can be used for a variety of sports throughout the year.

A feasibility study was completed by Gewalt Hamilton Associates in August 2015. The findings at this stage of the project confirmed that the required field geometry for two fields could be accommodated with some minor modifications to the parking lot, removal of a few trees, and padding around existing field lighting poles. Existing site ground slopes were determined to be relatively uniform, requiring minimal transition grading to accommodate the traditional planar style synthetic turf grades.

However, site detention requirements and existing soil conditions were not as favorable. The site required additional storm water storage on site and off site. Also, the soil boring reports indicated inordinate amounts of topsoil that would need to be removed for a strong and sturdy base to the synthetic turf.

By late November 2015 final solutions were determined and construction documents were prepared for one regulation football field and one large (180’x360’) soccer field. In February 2016 the Park Board approved the contracts to begin construction.

Project Schedule:

Board Approval : February 23, 2016

Start Construction : Mid-March 2016

Turf Installation : Mid-June 2016

Substantial Completion : Early August 2016

AHYAA Football Practices : Late August 2016

Grand Re-opening : September 16, 2016

• Off-load Turf Rolls and Place Turf
• Sew Turf Panels
• Install Field Markings
• Install Infill
• Remove Construction Entrance/Clean Up/Demobilize/Test Field 

The Arlington Heights Park District made a conscience effort to select a new infill product called CoolPlay. CoolPlay, made by Field Turf, replaces the top layer of its crumb rubber/silica sand blend with an exclusive cork material. The cork layer lowers field temperatures by as much as 35 degrees versus the traditional sand/rubber systems. The cork layer is also an alternative addressing the crumb rubber concerns raised by the public about the safety of recycled tire crumb used in playing fields.