Dear Princeton Academy Community,

It is with great excitement that I announce that Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart is partnering with Princeton Soccer Academy (PSA) to build the premier turf athletic field complex in Princeton and our surrounding area, right on our very own campus. We are proud to partner with PSA and are overjoyed at the prospect of providing our young men with state-of-the-art athletic playing fields that will increase safety, increase opportunity and serve as a paragon among athletic complexes. There is no doubt about it, this will be great for our boys, great for our school and great for our surrounding community.

The new turf athletic complex will exist in the current space of Radvany and Varsity Fields and will include two full length soccer/lacrosse fields, as well as a full-size baseball diamond. Princeton Academy students will be able to engage in athletic events (soccer, lacrosse and baseball), participate in physical education classes and enjoy recess playtime on the new fields. In partnership, PSA has invested significantly in the building of the fields at Princeton Academy and in turn, as the landowner, Princeton Academy will lease the fields to PSA. Great thought has gone into cooperative scheduling. The agreement between Princeton Academy and PSA will enable Princeton Academy to use the fields for year-round programmatic use, with PSA utilizing the fields after Princeton Academy’s school programs are completed for the day and on weekends.

We are proud to be the future home of EliteTurf’s POWER System, which encompasses Act Global's Xtreme Turf WX, a woven turf which is stronger and more durable than traditional tufted turf. It is built on the ProPlay® pad Foundation, which plays and feels firm while testing soft, reducing injuries. With no polyurethane backing, the synthetic turf is 100% recyclable at end of life, reducing the high disposal cost, and its interlocked fibers stand vertical, offering superior and consistent ball roll, steady footing, and reduced glare and heat.

"Some of the greatest qualities of any sports surface are not visible to the naked eye when the surface is complete,” said Moshe Grant, Chief Operating Officer at EliteTurf. “A key factor within our POWER system is the effect the warps and wefts structure of our woven turf have on the permeability of our turf system. When combined with our Elite Turf POWER Drainage system by Hydraway, our fields become the fastest-draining turf surfaces in the industry."

As a school of the Sacred Heart, Princeton Academy is deeply committed to environmental sustainability and considers stewardship of the Earth’s resources central to our mission. The POWER System provides a healthier infill that’s not only better for athletes, but is also one of the most eco-friendly turf systems available. Derived from recycled ocean plastic, the patent-pending infill can aid in removing over 1 million bottles from the ocean per field, which translates to the removal of at least 40,000 lbs of plastic from the ocean. The health and safety of our students is our top priority. EliteTurf's POWER System is safe for children and athletes; it contains no PAHs, heavy metals or carcinogens; it passes all EN71-3 toy standards; it is USDA approved; it is up to 28 degrees cooler than regular turf; and it provides increased foot stability and traction which leads to less injuries. The partnership between Princeton Academy and PSA is an example of environmentally-aware community-building which will undoubtedly be good for all who utilize the facility. Princeton Academy is proud to lead in this space and is honored to represent the town of Princeton as a showcase site for this revolutionary surface.

After almost two years in the making of behind the scenes work, we recently appeared virtually before Princeton's Site Plan Advisory Review Board (SPRAB) to review the technical aspects of the project and they were well received. SPRAB agreed to advance our project to the full Planning Board for the public meeting on October 15, 2020. On that date the Planning Board will hear testimony from Princeton Academy and its consultants (civil engineer and planner) and from the representatives of PSA. We expect a decision regarding the future of this project to be made on that evening. More information regarding the upcoming Planning Board meeting is forthcoming.

We are grateful for the support of our community as we pursue this exciting opportunity for our boys and for our school.