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Politics & Government

Maintenance Sought for Softball Field

Fanwood's engineer says that the adult softball field at LaGrande Park is overdue for work.

The adult softball field at LaGrande Park could be in for a seventh-inning stretch.

Council members have determined that much-needed maintenance will likely force the field to be temporarily closed in the fall.

Borough Engineer Joseph Pryor says that the infield, in particular, draws complaints from residents. Drainage issues are among the top concerns.

“The renovation involves bringing in some more material, mixing it in and bringing it back to where it was,” Pryor said. “It’ll actually improve the field because the surface will drain a little better."

The outfield is also overdue for work due to the volume of use it receives, Pryor said, noting that the field requires routine maintenance such as aerating, overseeding and the addition of soil.

“You really should maintain it every year,” he said. “It’s maintenance, normal field maintenance.”

During the July 7 council meeting, Councilwoman Joan Wheeler raised concerns about doing the maintenance work when the issues that exist now could just surface again in several years.

“I’m concerned that if we don’t have this as someone’s responsibility, that we will be here three years from now and we’ll still have the same problem, and we’ll still be talking about this,” she said.

Councilman David Valian responded to Wheeler’s comments by noting that proper field maintenance is a necessity, even if it doesn’t prevent the current problems from reoccurring.

“Even if we maintain the field and do all the things we need to do, you still may have to come back in three years and address certain things because that’s just the type of wear and tear, and erosion that occur on our fields," Valian said. "We could put a certain schedule in certain areas into the equation, but we still have to bring it back up to a reasonable condition.”

Mayor Colleen Mahr has asked council members Valian and Russell Huegel, liaisons to the departments of recreation and public works, respectively, to develop a plan to communicate the process to local teams that use the field.

A work schedule will probably not be determined until later this month, Mahr said, adding that estimates will be produced once the borough gets a more precise assessment of what specific work is required.

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