Warning 1iConstructand Maintby Tom Burns and Paul Zwaska

The primary function of a warning track is playersafety. As the name implies, it serves to "warn"players that they are approaching a physicalboundary such as a fence, railing or dugout. Butthere are additional benefits to be considered.

We all work countless hours mowing complex pat-terns and grooming our fields so they look their best.Think of a warning track as the frame for your "MonaLisa." A well-edged track of a contrasting color will

enhance the aesthetic appeal of your field.A warning track also serves as a utility road. Driving

equipment over the same path will lead to compactionand may cause ruts to form, leading to player injury. Wehave a large amount of tours, pre-game parades and pro-motions on our field. The track virtually eliminates theon-field wear from these activities.

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continued from page 31

Warning tracks may be composed of "natural" or "arti-ficial" materials. Installation and maintenance costsvary depending on the type of track selected and thematerials used.

DimensionsThe dimensions of a warning track are largely dependent

on the level of play and thesize of the playing surface.For a stadium setting, therecommendation would bea minimum of 12 feet inthe outfield and 8 feetaround the stands. MostMajor League tracks are 15feet in the outfield and 12to 15 feet in foul territory.This will vary from field tofield due to the proximityof the seats to the playingsurface. A good rule ofthumb is to give the playerat least two strides fromthe field to the obstruction.

Natural TrackMaterialsThere are several materi-als suitable for construct-ing a warning track. Thefirst consideration should

be texture. By using a coarse or gritty material, theplayer will feel the change in texture and be warned ofthe approaching obstacle. This type of material alsotends to drain better, which also leads to increased play-er safety. The most popular type of track material is acrushed aggregate. Granite, cinders, crushed brick andlimestone are some examples. There are many fields in

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32 March 2000

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Florida that have tracks constructed of crushed shell.Although the texture and drainage fit the need, thesharp edges and glare of these light colored materials donot make them a good choice.

Size is another important issue. It is important tochoose a material with a wide distribution of particlesizes, generally smaller than 3/8 inch. They should alsobe angular in shape. Sand or soil is often added as abinder. This will allow the material to lock together andprovide firm, stable surface.

Cost will be a factor in your choice. Trucking is a sig-nificant portion of the cost. Check with local construc-tion supply companies to try to keep transportationcosts to a minimum.

Natural Warning Track InstallationThe depth of the track will be influenced by factors suchas budget and availability of material. A filter fabric ishighly recommended if your budget allows. A depth ofthree to four inches will generally be sufficient,although you may want to increase the depth to sixinches if you will have heavy equipment traffic such asforklifts and trucks.

Subsurface drainage is usually not very effective dueto the high rate of compaction of the track material. Achannel drain along the outside perimeter, when com-bined with a slight grade, is much more effective. Thisis especially true when a concrete wall is present. Anedging material such as wood or plastic will be helpfulalong the outside of a chain link fence to preventwashouts. A concrete curb is another option but will be .a significant expense.

Once the dimensions have been established, excavateand compact the area. Spread the material and level tothe edge of the grass. Make allowances for settling andcompact with a roller. You will most likely need to re-grade several times during this process. Soaking with ahose will help in the compaction process and help tokeep dust to a minimum.

Maintenan~e of Natural Warning Tra~ksFrom time to time you will need to add material due toerosion and edging. This is also a reason to have a localsource. A topdresser may be used to apply the addition-al material. Scarify the surface, grade and roll to incor-porate the new material.

Regular grooming will help to prevent weeds andkeep the track looking fresh. Regular edging will alsoenhance the look of your new track. A gas-powered edgeror string trimmer, used on a regular basis, will help pre-vent the necessity of using a sod cutter and the constantadding of new material. It is inevitable that weeds willappear at some point. Grooming or using a hoe will con-trol most weeds. Occasionally you may encounter astubborn weed problem. These can be controlled withnon-selective or pre-emergent herbicides.

Artifi~ial Warning Teack ConsteuctfenArtificial warning tracks are not new to baseball; theyhave been around as long as artificial turf playingfields. Artificial warning tracks on natural turf fields,however, have only surfaced in the last decade. OriolePark at Camden Yards was the first Major League parkto have natural grass with an artificial warning track.

The typical construction of a porous rubber warning

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track begins with a minimum 8-inchbase of stone with a 4- to 6-inchdrain tile buried down the center ofthe track. On top of the stone layer isa 2-, 4-, or 6-inch layer of porous orpopcorn asphalt. Water can rapidlydrain right through the large poresof this asphalt. Finally a 1/2-inchlayer of rubber granules coated witha polyurethane binder is screeded tofinish grade atop the asphalt. Therubber granules come in a standard

red brick color but can be speciallyproduced in custom colors as well.

Artificial Warning TrackMaintenanceWhile the initial cost of this track ismore expensive then a natural track,the savings come in long-term main-tenance. With an artificial track, ittakes only one crew member onehour with a walk behind vacuum toclean it up. The entire track is hosed

Call 1 (800) 817-1889 use Fast Fax #1210300 and/or Circle 121 on Inquiry Card

34 March 2000

down every third home game. With anatural track, it can take a couplehours for two crew members to handrake the trash, peanut and sun-flower seed shells and cigarettebutts. Then the track has to bedragged and wet down for dust con-trol. After heavy downpours, youoften have to replace the naturalmaterial that has washed outaround surface drains in the track.Over the course of 10 to 15 years, theminimum life of an artificial track,the cost of replacing that materialadds up. With an artificial track youjust watch the water percolate downthrough the pores. The foul lines ona rubber warning track only need tobe painted once a year.

Protection of ArtificialWarning TracksThere are some practices that mustbe carefully monitored with a rubberwarning track. First, pesticide appli-cations: Always try to prevent anyspraying of pesticides on the warningtrack. Over time it will stain andbecome quite visible on the track.Always make at least one full boomwidth application along and parallelto the edge where the turf meets therubber. This gives you plenty of roomto shut off the booms as you come tothe end of a pass with your spray rig.The same goes for any granularbroadcast applications. Try havingtwo co-workers parallel you on theedge of the rubber dragging a 4 x 8foot sheet of plywood. This will helpdeflect the granular materials backonto the turf away from the track.

Most importantly, you must identifyearly in the life of the track any areaswhere sediment can flow onto the trackfrom outside sources during a rainfallrunoff. Stop these water and sedimentflows either before they reach the trackor with a trench surface drain right onthe leading .edge of the track. Thisshould direct the sediment away fromthe track and into the drain system,preventing clogging of the pores in therubber over time. ~

Paul Zwaska is head groundskeeper forthe Baltimore Orioles. Tom Burns isdirector of grounds for the TexasRangers and an STMA board memberrepresenting Category I, those in chargeof professional sports facilities. Bothare frequent contributors to sports turf-related publications and frequentspeakers at turf-related conferences.

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