Sharpsville Area School District's new $43,000 football field doesn't drain properly and should be stripped and regraded, two lawn-care professionals say.

Tom Davies, greens superintendent at Oak Tree Country Club in Shenango Township, and John Hacker, park superintendent at Buhl Farm in Hermitage, were asked last fall to assess the field, which was resodded last summer. They volunteered their services, said Superintendent Dr. Derry Stufft.

In a Jan. 9 letter, the pair said the best way to solve problems with the field is to "strip the sod, introduce an organic matter with high quality compost and then regrade the field with a 1.5 percent slope, even though the field was just regraded last summer."

Stufft said Monday the board plans to follow some of their advice.

If the district doesn't do extensive work on the field, Davies and Hacker said it should aerate, reseed and fertilize the field twice a year, in spring and early fall -- a process they referred to as a "long term remedy."

Stufft indicated the board would take that approach.

Last May, the board awarded a $17,900 contract to Scott Lawn Yard, Sanborn, N.Y., to reseed the football field. However, company representatives determined in late June that the field would not be ready in time for football season if it were just seeded, so former board President Robert Timmerman decided to resod instead, raising the cost to $43,000.

Residents in February raised concerns about drainage at the field but no mention was made of the Jan. 9 letter from Davies and Hacker.

Davies and Hacker did a soil analysis of the field, testing two samples of soil, one from the top layer that the new sod was laid on, and one from the existing field underneath.

Results indicate that organic matter in the soil is low but the soil pH is fine.

Davies and Hacker say that if graded properly, the field should be slightly higher in the center and slope off to the sides, sometimes referred to as a "turtle shell."

"The grade on the field is paramount due to the fact that 90 percent of the field is surface drainage," the letter said.

"As there was a considerable amount of rain this past autumn, it was very evident that a few areas have settled in the field at Sharpsville, creating a bowl-type effect that, in turn, collects water and does not drain. With the combination of improper drainage and a poor soil, maintaining this field will constantly be a challenge," the letter said.

Davies' and Hacker's "best recommendation" to fix the field would be to regrade, re-sod and make the amendments during the reconstruction process by a "qualified" contractor.

Without regrading the field, they said, "It will be absolutely imperative to amend it through an aggressive aerification program ... However, we must caution you that amending through aerification is a long-term remedy."

Stufft said the board plans to follow the recommendations to aerate, seed and fertilize the soil. The maintenance staff will probably take care of the fertilization and the board is looking at options for aeration, he said, noting nothing has been decided and no one has been hired.

At the February school board meeting, a resident asked if the board considered suing Scott Lawn Yard.

Solicitor John Reed said it was too early to tell whether the field was properly installed and the board has two years to sue. Reed also said an expert would have to be brought in to determine the amount of damage.

Company representatives were unavailable for comment.

The board's next regular meeting is 7 p.m. March 18 at the former Seventh Street Elementary School. A workshop meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 11.