CHAPTER NEWS
“ We are committed to providing our young people in St . Paul with super-high-quality facilities in this community ,” said Carter . “ There is no magic wand , the city can ’ t do it all alone .”
MPSFMA President Trenton Waters , grounds manager for the Minnesota Twins , said the fields were chosen due to the MLB and Hall of Fame connections , and the amount of traffic the fields receive .
“ We ’ re doing a lot of work today to renovate this field ,” he said . “ New base anchors , new mound , reset home plate , bring the field level , edge everything , cleanup around the fields and all the fence lines .
“ Toro is a massive help with equipment , and all the volunteers are highly skilled and committed to raising the quality of these fields ,” he added . “ There are a lot of people in our association who care . We could do a lot in this community .”
MPSFMA issued a special thanks to Toro ’ s Liz Ramirez and Marnie Wells for their efforts in making the day possible .
According to Edric Funk , Toro ’ s group VP of golf , grounds and irrigation , the work performed improved the safety and playability of the fields , enhanced the efficiency of ongoing maintenance , created beautiful playing surfaces , and celebrated Mauer ’ s Hall of Fame induction while also celebrating the young athletes who enjoy these fields . The scope of the work included the following : Dunning softball fields : Reset the base anchors , home plate and pitching rubbers ( three fields ) and aerated the outfield grass .
Jim Kelly Field : Revamped the bullpens and new plates and rubbers , painted wooden bleachers , installed Under Guard along the fence lines and aerated the outfield grass .
Billy Peterson Field : Added ag lime and regraded ; aerated the infield and outfield ; edged ; lightly topdressed and overseeded infield grass ; sodded around the mound ; did a mound re-do with ag lime and new pitching rubber ; added a new home plate ; revamped the bullpens and added a new rubber and plate ; added a retaining wall behind the dugout ; cleaned up garden areas , re-mulched and added Under Guard under all the fencing .
“ The whole spirit is to give back and to support underfunded fields ,” said MPSFMA ’ s Joe Churchill , fields and grounds specialist for Reinders , Inc . “ It ’ s nice for us to share what we know with the city and all working here . There is so much sports field knowledge here today . It ’ s a day well spent . And the corporate sponsorship is a huge bonus .”
Said Derek Hollanitsch , St . Paul Parks and Recreation Division maintenance crew leader , “ When people walk by or drive by , they see the stripes and the manicured field and they know it ’ s a good field . The work we do allows all sorts of people to enjoy these fields . I want to give people a fine field to play on every day . It ’ s my passion .” SFM – Report and photos by Glenn Hansen sportsfieldmanagementonline . com October 2024 | SportsField Management
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