The newly-installed artificial turf fields at John Adams Middle School have drawn the attention and praise of community members in addition to people connected to the school.
The three fields with the same FieldTurf that was also recently installed at Santa Monica College’s Corsair Field have received plenty of activity.
John Adams students use the fields on weekdays, and weekend activity includes use by the city’s Youth Sports program and by the American Youth Soccer Organization and Pony League teams. Next season the SMC softball team is expected to play home games there.
“The John Adams students have lots of energy to burn and they use the fields for physical education classes and during lunch breaks,” said John Adams principal Martha Shaw. “I think the whole community is excited about it.”
One field is for soccer, a second for soccer and football, and the third for softball. The complex replaced the grass fields that had to be closed periodically for re-seeding.
The $3 million in funds came from Measure S, the 2002 Santa Monica College bond measure. The venture benefited from cooperative planning among the college, the Santa Monica-Malibu School District, and the City of Santa Monica.
“This project demonstrates what a great community this is, where government agencies come together to create something that can be used by the college, our students, and the community at large,” said Michael Hill, community recreation facilities coordinator for the school district.
One Saturday AYSO scheduled 11 games beginning in the morning.
“We are very excited about this new field,” said Maryanne LaGuardia, an AYSO executive board member. “Nothing in the city is equal to this.”
