BALSAM BUYS SPORTEC has sod farms in Tifton, GA, and Lake IOWA UNIVERSITY FROMTECSYN Wales, FL. COMPLETES Tim Bowyer, president, said the facility INTERNATIONAL was added in response to the need for high CONVERSION TO GRASS Balsam Corporation continued it expan- quality hybrid bermudagrasses in the trop- The University of Iowa Hawkeyes, who sion into the North American sports and ical and subtropical regions of Europe and have been playing football on recreational surfacing market last month Asia generated by the expanding worldwide in Kinnick Stadium for the past decade, will with the purchase of Sportec International golf course market and the exportation of play their first home game on grass this from Tecsyn International, Inc. The sale American golf course architecture September. Turf Services Inc., of Spring consolidates ownersh i p of Balsam, expertise. Lake, MI, completed installation of a PAT. AstroTurf, Omniturf and All-Pro artificial turf Both Tifway 419 and Tigreen 328 are System this past May. surfaces. being produced at the new facility. Larry Kentucky bluegrass sod is now flourish- Balsam AG, a West German-based and David Cooper, who have been involved ing on the 80,000 square foot stadium field. manufacturer of athletic surfaces, pur- in farming and agriculture in Spain for Beneath the turf lies more than a foot of chased Astro-Turf Industries in 1988 from many years, are partners with Southern Turf sand rootzone contained by a plastic bar- Monsanto and formed Balsam Corporation, Nurseries in this venture. rier. The automatic drainage and subirriga- headquartered in St. Louis, MO. tion system is in operation with roots Last year, Tecsyn acquired Texas-based extending six inches down in less than six All-Pro to add to its Sportec Division. Spor- weeks. David Heiss, president of Turf Serv- tec manufactures Omniturf, Omnigreen, ices, says the project was completed a and Omnicourt sand-filled synthetic turf week ahead of schedule. surfaces, as well as Laykold tennis and TWINS SIGN LEASE Like in Chicago, IL, and Del track surfaces. TO TRAIN IN FORT MYERS Amo Park in Carson, CA, centrifugal pumps "The addition of Sportec ensures Bal- were installed instead of diaphragm pumps The springtime residents of Fort Myers, sam's commitment to establishing a to provide suction to four separate drainage FL, were disappointed two years ago when foothold in the tennis surfacing market- the left Terry Park for and subirrigation sections of the rootzone. place," explained Dale Orrick, president of Boardwalk & in Orlando. For 18 And like Soldier Field, Huber Ranch Sod Balsam Corp. Richard Burke, president and years the Royals had trained each spring at supplied the mixture of Northrup King Ken- chief operating officer of Sportec, com- the old stadium and park maintained by the tucky bluegrasses grown on sand. mented, "We are now part of a corporation Lee County Parks Department. "The interesting thing about this particu- solely dedicated to the sports and recrea- lar project," explains Heiss," is the field in County officials quickly sought another tional surfacing industry:' franchise to replace the Royals and suc- 41 feet below street level and there were no The purchase of Sportec by Balsam did tunnels large enough to get trucks from the ceeded this summer with the signing of a not include the All-Pro golf and playground street to the field. All the excavated soil and 20-year lease by the Minnesota Twins. products. Those surfaces will continue to Instead of playing at Terry Park, the Twins all the sand had to be moved in small loads be marketed by Tecsyn from All-Pro offices will play at a new 80-acre training facility down a steep stairway covered with dirt. in Dallas. The sod was brought in a small tunnel tsarsam Will serve as an umbrella over its scheduled for completion by February 1991. underneath the stadium with fork lifts. separately operated divisions. Omniturf will The $14 million complex will include an continue to compete against its sister com- 8,000-seat stadium, four practice fields, a pany, Astroturf Industries, according to Mike clubhouse/office building, two full-size soc- McGraw, vice president of marketing for cer fields, and four tournament-quality soft- Balsam Corporation. All-Pro turf has been ball diamonds. assimilated into the Omniturf Division The site will be developed for the Twins SAN ANTONIO PROCEEDS based in Rome, GA. The Sportec group, as well as a community park, explained Jim WITH DESIGN FOR DOME offering Laykold, Omnigreen and Lavender, director of planning and con- Omnicourt, will be headquartered in struction for the Lee County Department of Flexibility is the primary goal set by the Chatanooga, TN. The AstroTurf Division will Community Services. The architect for the San Antonio City Council for the city's new continue to operate from Dalton, GA, project is Lescher & Mahoney of Tampa. 65,000-seat dome stadium. Since passage providing both AstroTurf and Balsam athletic Case Construction of Plant City will work of a $100 million voter referendum this turf surfaces. with the architect under a design/build January, the city has been on a fast track to Industry analysts predict that Poligras arrangement. Many of the contractors work- complete the stadium by the beginning of and D.L.W., two other West German-based ing on the project also built the Texas the 1992 National Football League season. manufacturers of artificial sports surfaces, Rangers training facility in Port Charlotte. This summer it launched the design will increase their marketing efforts in the Lavender said the Twins will send their process by hiring HOK Sports Facilities U.S. as a result of Balsam's purchase of minor league teams to Fort Myers begin- Group of Kansas City, MO. Sportec. ning this spring, but the major league A design team headed by Ron Labinski is players won't work out there until 1991. The rushing to complete the initial design by this park maintenance staff, under the direction fall. "We have the opportunity to create the of John Yarborough, was trained by Royals most flexible multi-event center possible," head groundskeeper George Toma. "The said Labinski. The stadium is to accommo- stadium will have a grass infield instead of date professional football, concerts, trade SOUTHERN TURF the artificial surface at Terry Park," said shows, and conventions. The dome will not NURSERIES Lavender. be retractable and therefore the stadium will Terry Park, on the other hand, is being utilize artificial turf. OPENS FACILITY IN SPAIN prepared to serve as home stadium for a HOK is also working on designs for the Southern Turf Nuseries, based in Nor- new Senior Baseball League franchise. In New in Chicago and the cross, GA, has opened a sod production this league, retired professional baseball Camden Yards Twin Stadium Complex in facility near Malaga, Spain. It is the first players playa three-month season before Baltimore. The company has reportedly international production facility of a.n spring training begins. Fort Myers baseball been involved in every professional football American-based turfgrass producing facil- fans will be able to watch professional base- or baseball stadium during the past six ity, according to the firm. The company also ball from late October until April. years. 20 sports TURF