Scoring A Silicone Hat Trick: Affordability, Longevity, And Durability
North Park Ice Arena provides a community hub for ice sports and recreation for the people of Elyria, Ohio. Operated by the City of Elyria Parks & Recreation Department, the rink is home to youth hockey programs, high school teams, and public skating events that bring families and athletes together year-round. The rink shares the park space with playground equipment, an outdoor swimming pool, and a T-ball field.
In recent years, Elyria has prioritized improvements at North Park and other recreation facilities, as outlined in its Parks & Recreation Master Plan. The city's investment underscores the importance of the arena as both a sports venue and a gathering place for the community.
Drone footage acquired a few years earlier had identified potential damage to the metal roof of the arena, but no corrective action had yet been taken. Among other factors, a reliable roofing system is essential to help maintain the interior temperature control and moisture management of an ice rink, so it’s easy to understand how the city’s renewed focus on improving its recreational facilities led to a reassessment of the drone findings and a decision to bring in a roofing contractor. Only by addressing the roof’s condition could the city ensure that the arena could continue to host skating, hockey, and community events without interruption and within budget.
Additional challenges included safety and overspray potential. The sloped shape of the building required 100% tie-off for installer safety. Plus, both the nearby pool and the presence of a second contractor crew, brought in to build a locker room extension concurrent with the roof restoration, meant the work site would have to be carefully monitored for wind to avoid potential overspray.
Finally, the existing red roof created a dated appearance. The Elyria Parks & Rec Department wanted a more neutral, sophisticated look.
The department selected West Roofing Systems, Inc. based on a positive experience with an earlier project. West Roofing Systems President Chris West and Operations Manager Greg Haas had previously performed an analysis of an Elyria school's roof. While no work was performed because the school was eventually demolished, the detailed analysis, insightful recommendations, and responsive communications from West Roofing had made a lasting impression that led to new business.
Replacing the metal roof on the ice rink could have cost three times as much as a silicone restoration, while a single-ply solution such as TPO would have required flute-fill, potentially exceeding the weight limitations of the existing metal roof and block wall structure.
West Roofing Systems recommended GAF High Solids Silicone in dark gray for the roof. This gray offered an optimal color compromise for both summer cooling and winter heating. For maximum weatherproofing, the company recommended sealing and coating adjoining concrete block walls with GAF FlexCoat Acrylic Concrete Wall Coating over GAF SureBond Primer.
West Roofing Systems also replaced 12 damaged wall panels and repaired the concrete walls with acrylic brush-grade sealant. After prepping the roof with a high-pressure washer, sealing screwheads with self-leveling silicone, and seams with silicone mastic, the crew masked all rooftop equipment, penetrations, and so on prior to coating. The roof received two coats of high-solids silicone—the base coat to a dry-film thickness of 10 mils, and the top coat to a dry-film thickness of 20 mils. To manage overspray, the team often sprayed during weekends or after hours, or when the wind blew away from the pool area. They also hung clear tarps with magnets over the side of the roof to protect building walls.
Project Summary
- Solution: Metal Restoration with GAF High Solids Silicone Roof Coating
- Project Completion: August 2025
- Building Type: Sports & recreation venue
- Size: 56,100 sq.ft. incl. metal roof, wall panels, and concrete walls
- Location: Elyria, Ohio
Turface Athletics And Texas High School Baseball Announce 2026 Field Of The Year Award Recipients
Turface Athletics, a division of Profile Products, LLC, and Texas High School Baseball announced the recipients of the 2026 Texas High School Baseball (THSB) Field of the Year Awards.
The announcement also marked one year since Turface Athletics became the Official Industry Educational Partner of THSB in May 2025. Since the partnership began, the organizations have worked together to support coaches, field managers, and baseball programs across Texas through field maintenance education, industry resources, and recognition programs that help strengthen the game at the high school level.
The Field of the Year Awards recognize programs that demonstrate exceptional commitment to field maintenance, player safety, and creating a first-class experience for athletes, coaches, and their communities.
The 2026 Texas High School Baseball Field of the Year recipients were recognized across six classifications:
- 6A Field of the Year: The Backyard at Stratford High School
- 5A Field of the Year: The Nest at Liberty High School
- 4A Field of the Year: Van H.S. Baseball Field at Van High School
- 3A Field of the Year: Tiger Field at Slaton High School
- 2A Field of the Year: Whitewright Baseball Park at Whitewright High School
- TAPPS Field of the Year: Warrior Stadium at The Woodlands Christian Academy.
For decades, Turface Athletics has supported baseball programs at every level through field maintenance products, educational resources, and industry support designed to help create safer, more playable fields. The partnership with THSB reflects a shared commitment to supporting the coaches, field managers, and communities that continue to invest in the future of the game.
As part of the program, recipients will receive recognition and support opportunities through Turface Athletics, reinforcing the company’s ongoing commitment to high school baseball field excellence.