As Bromfield’s teams burst onto town playing fields this week, the varsity softball squad found itself without a home. Preparation of a new field on Ann Lees Road, promised for April 1, had not begun; a backup field at the Parker School in Devens was under construction and unavailable; and the girls traditional field at Harvard Elementary School was pitted with bore holes and tire tracks, a danger to athletes.
October 2018 Special Town Meeting appropriated $40,000 from the capital fund to convert the field on Ann Lees Road to a regulation softball field. The town awarded the contract to Great Horizons Landscaping, stipulating that the job be done by April 1. The plan seemed to be on track until a week or two ago when it was discovered that the firm had failed to get the approval of the Conservation Commission, although that step had been spelled out in the contract. In a Wednesday phone call, Conservation Agent Liz Allard confirmed that because the field abuts a wetland, it must be vetted by ConCom. The process could take up to eight weeks, she said, though she hoped the commission could move more quickly.
Meantime, the girls have been left without a field to call their own. The team had planned to use the HES field as a backup if construction at Ann Lees Road was delayed. This week the DPW filled holes and leveled the infield, but as of Wednesday morning it was too wet to use, and the outfield was rutted by tire treads. Despite earlier assurances given the team that a field would be available at Devens, the promised Parker School location is under construction and will remain so for weeks, according to schools Athletic Director Dave Boisvert. While he hopes the HES field can be used for practices once it dries out, he says home games will likely have to be played on rented out-of-town fields.
The Parks and Recreation Commission has nominal responsibility for scheduling and maintaining Harvard’s playing fields, but Chair Doug Thornton said his board has had no role in the Ann Lees project. “I have asked how a Parks and Rec person can help out, but to date this project and all contact with the vendor [Great Horizons] has been coordinated by town employees,” he wrote in an email.
If you’re looking for proof that the town needs a full-time recreation director, mused Boisvert in a hallway conversation Wednesday morning, “This is it.”
