With softball season little more than a month away, the School Committee voted unanimously Monday night to spend up to $19,000 for work on the Ann Lees softball field, above and beyond what the contractor who rebuilt the field is expected to do. The money will come from the Devens account, funds that MassDevelopment pays Harvard schools for educating students who live in Devens.
Yet only the middle school appears likely to have a full Harvard softball team, according to softball coach Bob Miller. At the high school level, Coach David Boisvert is exploring the possibility that Bromfield students may play with the Ayer Shirley varsity and junior varsity teams. Once the new elementary school is finished, there will be a baseball field there suitable for younger children and for use as a practice field for older teams.
The committee reached its decision after receiving a prioritized list of work needed to finish the field from Larry Feinberg, president of the Harvard Youth Baseball and Softball Association (HYBSA), at the School Committee’s Jan. 27 meeting. Miller followed up this week, urging the committee to act soon so the work can be completed by April. Miller later said in an email that the first softball practice is scheduled for March 16, with a game possibly as early as March 26.
Feinberg said the Ann Lees field “is in dramatically better shape than it was.” It has been graded, rolled, groomed, compacted, and marked out with a specified soil base in the infield area, according to the terms of the contract with North Turf, the company that has worked on the field since last fall. But, Feinberg said, the field still has a long way to go before it is comparable to the softball facilities at other schools where Harvard teams play.
One reason it has been difficult to make headway on the Ann Lees field, Feinberg said, is that many different stakeholders are involved. At a minimum, they include the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Conservation Commission (because wetlands are next to the field), the Harvard Athletic Association, and the HYBSA. School Superintendent Linda Dwight said the schools had not taken part in the process before, but this time they should lend a hand.
Tops on the list of needs for the Ann Lees field are a home plate, bases, and a pitching rubber. North Turf is expected to come back and supply those items, which were included in its contract, School Committee member Sharlene Cronin said. North Turf’s contract calls for its work to be done by March 15.
Other top priorities include installing a temporary outfield fence and filling ruts and holes in the parking area. Putting up the fence, however, requires a permit from the Conservation Commission, which in turn depends on delineating the borders of the nearby wetland—work for which the permit applicant is responsible, according to Land Use Administrator Liz Allard. It was unclear whether the schools, the town, or one of the athletic organizations would apply for the permit.
Among the other improvements the new money is meant to cover is a grass outfield, instead of the poison ivy and straw that Miller said are there now. Other items on the list are foul poles, limited seating for spectators, covered dugouts, and a higher backstop and fencing along the first-base side. The higher fencing is a safety issue, everyone agreed, to keep foul balls from hitting anyone along the sidelines.
One of the more expensive items on the list—a scoreboard—will have to wait for a grant, donation, or other source of money.
