Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jacob Sippel | CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti (July 16, 2021) The Camp Lemonnier Turf Field is cut back so...... read more read more
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CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti (July 16, 2021) – The sights and sounds of friendly competition is returning to Camp Lemonnier’s Turf Field. After more than 18 months of on-and-off repairs, the Turf Field, located adjacent to Building 659, is now open for base athletic activity.
In December 2019, heavy rains hit the base, causing flooding in some areas.
“We experienced a 100-year flooding event. That caused the field to float and wrinkle the surface. This caused numerous safety hazards,” explained Brian Huber, Facility Engineering Acquisition Division Engineering Technician. “There were many areas where the surface was worn, had exposed tacks, ripped surface and areas where the filler material was either missing or nonexistent.”
In May 2021, the base flooded again, further dislodging the field, floating it out of alignment and causing more ripples and bumps in the surface. Summer work had been planned anyway, but, after the spring flood the urgency of repair was increased: major repair was absolutely necessary.
The summer project has been the biggest fix to date. In early June, the field was closed for all activity. The originally scheduled plan detailed that the field would be fully closed until the end of August due to the complexity of projects. The field surface needed smoothing and proper drainage needed to be installed. In addition, an ongoing routine maintenance program was needed to improve the safety and life expectancy of the sports field. Despite all that work, last week Cmdr. Aaron Allison, CLDJ’s Public Works Officer announced that the project was being completed more than a month earlier than expected.
When the initial timeline was set for completion, the base had strict COVID-19 guidelines. Over the past few months, the restrictions have been lifted some and allowed for the workers to complete ahead of schedule.
Experts from FieldTurf USA Inc., repaired the field and did shock absorption tests. KBR installed a drainage system to alleviate the effects of future flooding and assisted FieldTurf with labor.
“This will help make the field safer and more comfortable to play on,” said Shannon Smith, MWR Site Director. “Since the field is used for everything from sporting events to recreation competitions, having it re-opened allows our Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) programming a much broader range of options to be offered.”
Repairs and damages to the Turf Field took away a whole series of common CLDJ activities which made the camp a lot more fun for residents. Intramural sports, Captain’s Cup tournaments, pick-up games like soccer, frisbee, kickball and volleyball as well as fitness events and competitions and coalition friendly soccer matches events have all been missing.
“Reopening the field means intramural sports, large outdoor recreation events, as well as large fitness classes can resume on the field. This is a great asset to base morale since the only place where these things can occur now is in our Thunderdome,” explained Smith. “Excluding black flag conditions, the field is used 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. The closure for repairs was specifically chosen for this time of year because usage restrictions due to the heat disallow usage through most of this time of year. In the evening, when conditions are cooler, our field is typically a hub of activity. Being able to re-open the field will allow our folks to be able to resume sports and activities they regularly looked forward to prior to the field’s] closing,” said Smith. “Everyone has done a great job getting the field repaired and we're thankful for all the teamwork."
Even more healthy competition is on its way. People around base are eager to participate and take advantage of the renewed field and athletic options that they haven’t been able to do since arriving at CLDJ.
“It’s great to see the turf field reopen ahead of schedule. The turf field is a vital component of CLDJ for fitness and morale,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Marshall Metli, Billeting Officer. “Personally, I’m excited to dominate future MWR sporting events to add additional trophies to my collection.”
The first major “back to competition” activity is an intramural softball league that is set for early September.
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.20.2021 07:41 |
| Story ID: | 401268 |
| Location: | CAMP LEMONNIER, DJ |
| Web Views: | 342 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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