BASEBALL FIELDS RENOVATION

PROJECT COMPLETED | SPRING 2020

renovation of 6 infield baseball diamonds

In the spring of 2020, the OAC (Olmsted Athletic Commission) completed the major renovation of six infield baseball diamonds at Olmsted Falls Early Childhood Center (ECC), Falls-Lenox and Olmsted Intermediate School (OFIS).

We wanted to address three main issues:

1- Improve the fields’ ability to take on rain was the primary goal. Too many practices and games were lost last year due to standing water. Often, it would take 2-3 days of clear skies in order for any activity to occur on these fields. We wanted to be able to play on the fields at worse case the next day, and best case that evening if it rained in the morning and cleared up in the afternoon.

2 – Improve the playing surfaces. Anyone that has played in the infield knows how important a smooth infield is in cleanly fielding a ground ball. It is not just making a clean play, but also preventing an injury. I played in the West Denison league back in the early 80s, and I had my fair share of baseballs to the face at shortstop due to the field conditions (my father would say it was my ability as a shortstop but we digress). A great playing surface is better for the development and safety of the player.

3 – Reduce the maintenance costs of our baseball and softball organizations. Due to the poor field conditions, a lot of the fees collected were being used to purchase drying agent and additional sand. By greatly reducing these costs, these organizations can put those dollars into upgrading equipment, playing more games and tournaments and improving the development of our players.

We replaced the top 2-3 inches of each diamond with a new sand and clay base and had every field professionally laser graded. We also extended the field at Middle School East to a full 90 feet, giving us another full baseball field to play on. The early feedback from players, coaches and opponents has been fantastic! The fields are some of the best in the area and we accomplished our goals.

The overall project cost was $70,000. The following organizations contributed financially to the project:

• Bulldog Field Initiative (care of the Olmsted Athletic Commission - OAC)

• The Urban Foundation

• Olmsted Community Summer League (OCSL)

• Olmsted Travel Baseball Association (OTBA)

• Olmsted Community Baseball/Softball Commission (OCBSC)