De Realtà Mapei n.° 36 - 1/12/2023

Sports Tourism and MAPEI Revitalize a Midwestern Town

State-of-the-art synthetic-turf fields keep athletes comfortable and keep maintenance costs low
Overview: The Village of Rantoul, Illinois, decided upon a creative means of gaining extra revenue by boosting their restaurant, retail and hospitality services while improving their city’s standard of living – and having a little fun. In a bid to capitalize on “sports tourism,” city officials used a bond measure – as well as private contributions, donations, sponsorships and grants – to construct the largest multi-sports complex in the Midwest.

 

The Rantoul Family Sports Complex is a 1,552,267-square-foot (144 210-m2) multi-sport, synthetic-turf sports park featuring eight ballfields, one softball field, two Little League/Challenger fields, eight soccer/multipurpose fields, a splashpad and a playground. This park proudly features products from MAPEI’s Products for Sports Flooring line throughout the complex.

The Rantoul Family Sports Complex

Located at the intersection of three major interstates, the Rantoul Family Sports Complex is designed to draw people from Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis. None of these cities has sports fields that are equal to the caliber of those that are found at the new complex. A field is a field, right? No. Because these fields at the Rantoul complex were created using superior-quality MAPEI products.

MAPEI on the job

An official at the facility described MAPEI’s products by saying, “The synthetic turf is brand-new, state-of-the-art. We use a rubber-sand combination that keeps the turf cool and comfortable to play on. It’s like playing on real grass.” And the lack of maintenance costs (mowing, water, etc.) combined with comfort and safety made the use of MAPEI turf products a win/win.

MAPEI’s Lee Hefner was the sales representative in charge of this project. He worked closely with the installing contractor to ensure that the MAPEI products Ultrabond Turf PU 2K two-component, fast-set, urethane turf seam adhesive and Ultrabond Turf Tape were correctly applied using Ultrabond Turf Glue Box.

The main challenge was the sheer size of the project – 19 fields encompassing 1,552,267 square feet (144 210 m2) of turf. And those fields were not always accessible. The job was also challenged by the fact that the jobsite itself had to close for the winter months when the fields were blanketed by snow.

The sports complex is now open – and so are surrounding restaurants, hotels and shops. The Village of Rantoul has been revitalized thanks to the concept of sports tourism and the Rantoul Family Sports Complex, which features synthetic turf that was installed courtesy of MAPEI products.

TECHNICAL DATA
Rantoul Family Sports Complex – Rantoul, IL, USA
Project category: Sports Facilities
Years of construction: 2020-2021
Years of MAPEI involvement: 2020-2021
MAPEI coordinator: Lee Hefner
Project owner: Village of Rantoul
General contractor: Byrne & Jones Construction
Installer contractor: Midwest Sport and Turf Systems (MWSTS), LLC
Project manager: Kevin Reynolds (MWSTS)
Project size: 1,552,267 square feet (144 210 m2) of turf installed
Challenges: The size of the project itself posed the main challenge – 19 fields encompassing 1,552,267 square feet (144 210 m2) of turf. Access was another challenge due to construction schedules and other trades, as well as the calendar schedule. The jobsite had to close for the winter months when the fields were blanketed by snow.
MAPEI products: Ultrabond Turf Glue Box, Ultrabond Turf PU 2K, Ultrabond Turf Tape

Productos mencionados en el artículo

Ultrabond Turf Glue Box
Ultrabond Turf Glue Box
Ultrabond Turf Glue Box es la herramienta perfecta de aplicación para unir césped sintético de campos deportivos usando un adhesivo de…
Ultrabond Turf PU 2K
Ultrabond Turf PU 2K
Adhesivo profesional de uretano para costuras de césped sintético, de dos componentes y fraguado rápido Ultrabond Turf PU 2K es un…
Ultrabond Turf Tape
Ultrabond Turf Tape
Cinta de calidad superior para costuras de césped sintético Ultrabond Turf Tape es una cinta de tela a base de PET, unida en la hilada y…

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