Despite numerous setbacks and considerable confusion over who was responsible for what, the Ann Lees softball field will be ready for the middle school team to start practicing next week. That was the welcome news Superintendent Linda Dwight brought to the School Committee Monday. High school players will join the Ayer Shirley varsity and junior varsity softball teams, according to David Boisvert, Bromfield’s athletic director.
North Turf, the contractor for recent work on the Ann Lees field, installed the bases and the pitching mound last week, Dwight said. The Department of Public Works cut back brush that interfered with play. The rutted parking lot has been smoothed out. And a fencing company was ready to start this week to raise the height of fences near home plate to block foul balls.
But other plans for the field had hit a snag a few days before the School Committee met. The Conservation Commission failed to muster a quorum for its March 5 meeting and thus was unable to vote on a request to allow work that would fall within the wetlands protection area, such as outfield fencing and permanent foul poles.
Superintendent Dwight and Doug Thornton, the chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, both attended the ConCom meeting as part of a larger group with an interest in the field’s progress. While the lack of a quorum was unfortunate, Thornton said, he believed the delay in the permitting decision would not prevent the team from playing. For example, he said temporary foul poles could be set up until a decision is reached on the permanent ones.
The Ann Lees softball field. (Photo by Tim Clark)
