-Click here for Spring 2007 issue of Concrete Pipe News (PDF)-

JONESBORO (5/17/07) ?  The Concrete Pipe News' spring 2007 issue featured Arkansas State's Indian Stadium on the cover and its lead story was a three-page spread that focused on the concrete drainage system and ProGreen field turf installed in the stadium prior to the Indians' 2006 football season.

The article, titled “Precast Concrete Drainage System Scores For ASU Fans”, was written and submitted to the magazine by Jim Scurlock of Scurlock Industries in Jonesboro.  Scurlock Industries was contracted to supply all pre-cast concrete products for the project, while Meadows Construction Company, also of Jonesboro, served as the project's Contractor.  John Selig and Craig Light were the head engineers on the job as the article points out in a project overview section that also lists the supplies and quantities used in the drainage system.

The issue was mailed to almost 14,000 engineers, specifiers, government officials, contractors and members of the American Concrete Pipe Association throughout the United States, Canada and in 25 foreign countries.

As the article states, 1,300 feet of 42-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe was used as part of the drainage system.  The article discusses many of the challenges and obstacles that had to be overcome and exactly how the drainage system operates.

Among the biggest challenges ASU faced was finishing the field in time for the 2006 season opener.  ASU expected to have the ProGreen artificial surface installed well before the fall, but after the subsurface was graded to a one percent slope a heavy rainfall flooded the field and left enough standing water to reveal a drainage problem.  That is when the athletic department learned that a new drainage system would have to be installed and that time was of the utmost concern.

“The clock was ticking on the project and we wanted to find a product that could be put in place in a very timely fashion,” said Scurlock.  “(ASU Director of Athletics) Dr. (Dean) Lee did an excellent job making things happen and coordinating with the different entities involved.  I was very impressed with the way the whole process worked.

“We have three other plants and while we had some of the supplies here, we also had to bring in some supplies from other locations as well,” continued Scurlock.  “It was amazing how much work went on in a confined area.  Meadows Construction became involved and did an excellent job.  They took the lead, came in and did things in a very professional manner in a tight time frame.”

Meadows Construction installed the underground retention pond and was responsible for placing the pipe in the field under the turf.  According to Garry Meadows, the company became a part of the process after prior complications with the old drainage system arose that prevented the turf from being installed right away.

“We tried to help ASU reach a goal and were pleased to assist in the upgrading of the field,” said Meadows.  “The ultimate goal was to achieve a quality field and we wanted to be a part of that goal.  The ASU football field is probably one of the premier fields in Arkansas due to the work that was done by ProGreen.  They were superb and did a quality job.”

In addition to having a short amount of time to complete a major renovation, there were other challenges with the drainage system that had to be overcome.  Since the football field is lower than ground level, all the runoff from the five-acre complex makes its way down to the field.  However, there is only one place for a gravitational drain that allows the water to exit the field, thus a drainage system had to be put in place that could retain a large amount of water during the process.

“We were thankful it rained before we ever started laying the turf,” said ASU Assistant AD for Facilities Randy Knowles.  “It was really a blessing in disguise because that is when we found out that we had a major issue with drainage.  Meadows Construction and Scurlock Industries were both really outstanding and did an exceptional job.”

The article includes a “before and after” image of the stadium that shows the concrete pipe during installation and the final product, complete with the ProGreen artificial surface in place.

The final product, which would not have been possible without the combined efforts of Scurlock Industries, Meadows Construction Co., NRS Consulting Engineers, ProGreen, ASU's Indian Club, and the ASU athletic department, was finished in time for the Indians' 2006 season opener against Army and proved to be a huge success that did in fact score big for ASU fans.