Baseball field reconstruction gets the thumbs up
Precision Turf dug up the manhole cover that previously stuck out of right field. The manhole cover will be lowered down about four feet below grade, so that it will no longer get in the way of outfielders.
August 31, 2016
The day has finally come. Fayette County superintendent Joseph Barrow and Fayette County Board of Education approved the reconstruction of the baseball field last spring after many complaints from coaches, players, and parents.
Originally, the field was built over a manhole cover that connects a sewer line from a pumping station used by the entire south complex (Peeples Elementary, Rising Starr Middle School, and Starr’s Mill High School). There have been many drainage issues due to extraneous precipitation last winter, as well as the manhole cover sticking out of right field.
The sod has been completely ripped out and removed from the field. Reconstruction should be completed in late September.
“We’ve been meeting off and on for about a year with [head varsity coach Brent Moseley] and the booster club [to look] at some issues with the field not draining properly,” head of Fayette County facilities, Mike Satterfield, said. “We brought in several different consultants to take a look at it [as well as] civil engineers. The recommendation of all the different parties was to go in and regrade the field and redo the sod.”
The reconstruction started on Aug. 22 and the estimated timeline is about 4-6 weeks. Fayette county hired a company called Precision Turf to strip the field, move the infield back about ten feet, and lasergrade and re-sod the entire field, as well as drop the manhole cover currently sticking out of right field, down about four feet below grade.
“The hazards of the field [are] that there are so many low spots that hold water and stay wet throughout the year. When we play, there is a lot of slipping and sliding and falling that goes on,” Moseley said.
The maintenance costs approximately $180,000 and will be funded by educational special purpose local option sales tax.
