Qwest to resurface the playing field

Qwest Field won't roll out a red carpet for the Dalai Lama in April.

It will, however, be a new carpet when his holiness arrives to a freshly resurfaced stadium.

The Public Stadium Authority unanimously approved a resolution Friday to replace the artificial playing surface at Qwest Field, home to the Seahawks and the Major League Soccer team that will begin play in 2009.

Field replacement was initially scheduled to be considered in March, but a special meeting was called because installers needed a six-week window to put down the new field. The best time is between now and the event that will include the Dalai Lama on April 12.

The playing surface will be installed by FieldTurf, the company that produced the surface the Seahawks played on the past six seasons.

The surface at Qwest Field was rated one of the best playing surfaces, according to the NFL Players Association. Lance Lopes, Seahawks vice president and general counsel, said the surface had hardened somewhat. The surface also faded from the air pollution, sun and fraying of the plastic strips that make it up.

Lopes said replacing the surface was consistent with the goal of maintaining Qwest Field as a first-class facility in both appearance and safety.

Qwest Field was the first NFL stadium to use FieldTurf as its permanent playing surface. Now, about one-quarter of the league's stadiums have FieldTurf and more than half the teams play on an artificial surface, not grass. Some MLS stadiums also have FieldTurf.

The new artificial surface at Qwest Field will be different. An inch-thick layer of rubber will provide cushioning beneath the field. It is not expected to harden as the previous field did when the rubber and sand used to fill in the turf compressed over the years. Lopes said the expectation is the new field will last at least as long as the previous surface.

Lopes would not disclose the cost for replacement at Qwest Field, only that it was more than $500,000. A total of $800,000 was initially budgeted.

Of the total cost, $500,000 will come from the proceeds of naming rights. First and Goal Inc., the Qwest Field operator, will pay the rest.

FieldTurf will also be installed at the team's new headquarters this year.

Note

• Bill Lazor will become the Seahawks quarterbacks coach, according to The Washington Post. Lazor previously served in that job for the Washington Redskins. Lazor would take the place of Jim Zorn, who left the Seahawks to become Washington's offensive coordinator. The team has not made an announcement concerning a staff addition.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com