When talk of installing artificial grass on the Grossmont College football field surfaced eight years ago, some critics said it was too expensive.

They were overruled. Grossmont College joined La Jolla High in becoming local pioneers by installing FieldTurf for the 2000 season. The cost was slightly less than $1 million at both sites.

About three dozen schools in the region have followed suit, replacing natural grass with FieldTurf or similar brands of artificial turf that are made of rubber, plastic and sand.

Grossmont College is the first school in the area to lay down second-generation FieldTurf. The Griffins are conducting preseason football drills on the new surface in preparation for their Sept. 6 home opener against San Diego Mesa College.

The cost for the latest project was $600,000, said Jim Spillers, Grossmont College's associate dean of physical education and director of athletics.

The price for second-generation FieldTurf has dipped, but at least one customer says the quality has improved.

Spillers said the original base of smooth, rounded silica sand and cryogenically frozen and smashed rubber particles was still in place. No replacement or repair was needed after eight years of wear.

The upgraded grass is guaranteed to last two to three years longer than its predecessor.

“The (grasslike) fiber they used in the first generation continued to fray as it got older,” Spillers said. “The new stuff is polyethylene monofilament, like fishing line. It doesn't split, which allows it to hold up better.”

Most schools have used a combination of private donations and public funds to buy the turf. After installation, schools generally have been able to maintain artificial turf for less than what it costs to take care of traditional grass.

Most obvious is not having to use thousands of gallons of water, and there is no mowing or fertilizing.

Spillers said the second round of FieldTurf offers additional advantages.

“The football yard-line markers, end zone monograms, hash marks ... all of the game lines for football and soccer are woven into the field during installation,” he said. “It used to be where we had to paint all the logos and lines on ourselves. And they had to be refreshed every other week. That was quite costly.”

From now on, maintenance of the Grossmont College field consists of a single exercise.

“One time per year the company brings in a vacuum-type machine to fluff up the turf and suck up any debris like sunflower seeds,” Spillers said. “Then it is like new again.”

Spillers said high usage of the Grossmont College field provides a rigorous test. In addition to intercollegiate athletics, the field is used for physical education classes and training in other courses.

“And we have so many other events – it's becoming more and more a community facility,” Spillers said. “It's in use 24/7.”

La Jolla High Principal Dana Shelburne said FieldTurf has been a perfect fit at his school.

“Best move we ever made,” Shelburne said. “We are going into our ninth year and we haven't had one field-related injury during that span.”

Plans for an upgrade at La Jolla have not been formalized. Shelburne said he believes the multiuse field will last at least three more years.

“Given that so many of our schools are located in a coastal-desert climate, I wish they all would put in FieldTurf,” he said.

Shelburne said the high school saves a significant amount of water and about $30,000 annually on grass maintenance.

An added plus, Shelburne said, is the Metropolitan Water District's pledge of 50 cents per square foot to La Jolla for putting in a field that doesn't require water.

This summer, Granite Hills High installed FieldTurf with a boost from several sources that included $45,000 from the Helix Water District.

Not all schools with artificial grass have purchased FieldTurf.

Helix High Athletic Director Damon Chase said the Highlanders installed synthetic turf designed by Challenger Industries.

Over a 10-year period, Chase said Helix figures to save $150,000 to $220,000, which he said covers water, fertilizer and labor.

Chase said Helix has set aside a deferred maintenance fund for replacement of the field. The Highlanders have eight years remaining on a 10-year warranty, he said.