Technical Description:
• Keystone Compac® III
• Number of Walls: 8
• Total Wall Area: 1,921 sf
• Wall Size: 100' long x 3' tall
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A stylish new multi-purpose synthetic turf field was one of the components of the John F. Kennedy High School academic and athletic program expansion project in Waterbury, Connecticut. It has replaced a natural grass field on the same site. The new facility is lined for football and soccer and includes an overlapping synthetic turf softball field.
Seven of the eight retaining walls installed on the first and third base sides of the softball field serve multiple functions: as a tiered retaining wall system for slope stabilization leading down to the fields; to visually dress up the area with decorative yet functional landscaping, and to be a social and seating area for spectators. The more natural-looking bleacher system consists of the walls with caps as seats, with 3/8-inch field base stone between each tier as walkways. Tan-colored wall units with a straight-split face style have a natural stone texture that complements the exterior of the school building. An eighth retaining wall runs alongside the new tennis courts.
The eight segmental retaining walls were built with the Keystone Compac® III concrete wall system and tiered walls tie into existing walls. The total wall area is 1,921 square feet. The average length is 100 feet and wall height averages 3 feet.
Compac III is a structural wall system. It is lighter weight than comparable structural block and has a shortened tail design that makes it easier to handle. A unit is 12 inches deep with a face width of 18 inches and height of 8 inches. Units weigh between 67 and 89 pounds, depending on the local manufacturer, face style and aggregates. They vertically interconnect using high-strength pultruded fiberglass pins and have cores that are designed to be filled with crushed stone to provide additional mechanical interlock and internal drainage.
Compac units have been approved by 27 state highway administrations. Superior Landscape Products of Milldale, Conn., manufactured the Keystone Compac III system for this project.
Mizzy Construction, a full service sitework company in Plainville, Connecticut, was the installer. Mike Vigue, who performed the work, remarked that "the color quality and consistency of every pallet was great. And the compact size of the units was user-friendly to set, especially for this application where access was limited in some areas."
Technical Description:
• Keystone Compac® III
• Number of Walls: 8
• Total Wall Area: 1,921 sf
• Wall Size: 100' long x 3' tall
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