CUMBERLAND CENTER — Greely High School athletes are taking to a new turf field this season, as are middle schoolers playing frisbee in gym class.
The revamped Glenn A. Hutchins Field opened for play at the start of this semester, debuting a state-of-the-art turf that once sparked widespread community debate in Cumberland and North Yarmouth.
Costing over $3 million, the field is the first of its kind in New England. Made of “pivot turf” by the company GeoSurfaces/Tencate, the artificial grass consists of three densely packed blade types and no rubber infill like many traditional turf fields. Other features include a shock pad underneath the turf to prevent injuries, filters in the drainage pipes to prevent any microplastics from entering waterways, and the capacity to water the field to cool it on hot days.
The process of deciding on this design was intensive. As part of the Building Committee for Maine School Administrative District 51’s One Campus Project, which is currently underway, the committee behind the field considered every option for — and objection to — the turf field that came their way, said Turf Sub-Committee Chair Jesse Lamarre-Vincent.
“We looked at all of it, and … we had people who were willing to spend their time, to come to school board meetings or to email school board members, which is really great. It’s nice to have community members who are willing to engage,” said Lamarre-Vincent.
Some residents were concerned about the environmental impact of the turf field, from PFAS to microplastics that could be shed, to what would happen to the field of plastic at the end of its life. The Cumberland Town Council even passed an ordinance banning the installation or use of artificial turf containing synthetic infill materials in the town.
“A lot of people made their voices heard, but I think all for the better, because they pushed us to make sure we weren’t cutting any corners,” said Lamarre-Vincent.
Meeting six times in the fall of 2024, the Turf Sub-Committee consisted of coaches, student athletes, parents, architects and SAD 51 School Board members. Under the criteria that the turf selected would be PFAS free, not have crumb rubber infill, and be recyclable at the end of its life, the sub-committee recommended to the Building Committee and later SAD 51 Board of Directors that Greely be the one to bring the GeoSurfaces/Tencate product to New England for the first time.
“That’s the Greeley motto, ‘Rangers lead the way.’ There’s nothing wrong with being the first if it’s a good fit, right?” said Lamarre-Vincent.
“Some people only care about the use piece, some people only care about the performance piece, some people only care about the minimizing environmental impact piece. But I think we met all those things to the highest degree we could,” he said.
Many Cumberland and North Yarmouth residents were also concerned about the cost of the One Campus School Project, with the turf field making up $3 million of the $53.5 million bond for the project. The One Campus project also includes a new school for pre-K to first grade, new maintenance buildings, road changes and four additional classrooms for the Mabel I. Wilson School.
“I’m a retired person, my budget’s a lot tighter than it used to be. I look at the expense of a field like that (and think) ‘Good god, can’t we just maintain the regular grass field?’” said North Yarmouth resident Diane Burnell in May of 2024.
Residents of Cumberland and North Yarmouth expressed frustration that the turf project was lumped in with the larger campus project, arguing that they should be funded separately. The bond referendum for the project narrowly passed last year with 50.5 percent of the votes in Cumberland and North Yarmouth, 2,287 to 2,238.
“This turf proposal and the school should be separate referendums. I personally am going to vote ‘no’ on the turf. And if it’s part of the school thing, I will be voting ‘no’ on that when I am really in favor of the school,” said Cumberland resident Bruce Sherwin prior to the vote.
It was not the first time the turf field was considered as part of a larger SAD 51 project. Ten years ago, the board heard reports on a turf field project alongside proposals for a performing arts center. What became the Greely Center for the Arts moved forward, while the turf project did not. Other attempts by the school to privately fundraise for the turf field over the years were also unsuccessful.
The completion of the turf field this summer falls in the middle of the rest of the One Campus upgrades, providing space for elementary and middle school students to run around in gym and recess, as many other fields are covered either in classroom modules or mounds of dirt. As the buildings at SAD 51 expand through the project, more students can use the turf field both during the school day and for school sports.
“We’re running out of space on campus,” said Lamarre-Vincent. “So it sort of functions as the equivalent of three to four grass fields, just in the amount that you can use it.”
Previously, the Glenn A. Hutchins Field was only used for games so as to not ruin the grass. Played on for matches by the soccer, football and lacrosse teams, it only saw about 150 hours of play per school year, said Greely High School Athletic Director David Shapiro.
“And that was only if Mother Nature allowed,” said Shapiro, who was tasked with rescheduling games when rain turned the grass field into a potential mud pit.
“I think the biggest thing is accessibility and a place to play, regardless of the weather,” said Greely’s football coach Caleb King. “It makes a big difference for us, to not have to change each week depending on rain.”
With soccer, football, lacrosse and field hockey now able to also practice on the field since it can take high use, Shapiro conservatively estimates that the turf will get about 2,500 hours of play this school year.
“It just grants us a whole lot more flexibility and a ton more activity,” he said.
At Greely High School, upwards of 60 percent of students participate in sports for at least one season. Having to practice off campus, students would often drive themselves to fields in the Twin Brook Recreation Area, in North Yarmouth and at North Yarmouth Academy.
With new LED field lights and a new scoreboard donated by the Cumberland Soccer Club, Glenn A. Hutchins Field is ready to take a lot of action, from middle schoolers’ recess, practices and scrimmages to intense gameplay with cheering crowds.
“I think it’s created a nice buzz in the community. We are kind of a hub of the community on game nights, and it’s nice to be able to accommodate them every day, to be able to be here,” said Shapiro.