Spring in Needham means outdoor sports. And one of the most popular sports programs is run by Needham Baseball and Softball, a nonprofit organization that has an impressive list of volunteers and programs year-round. More than 1,000 boys and girls take the fields this time of year, and that’s a problem when the fields are not in great shape.
“There are 24 fields in town,” said Needham Baseball and Softball Board President Dave Volante, “and while the town is doing its best to keep them in decent shape, we are spending more and more as a board for ongoing upkeep.”
Maintenance of the baseball and softball fields requires time and expertise because the clay diamonds are the perfect settings for weeds and deep ruts. The town is responsible for all the fields, and Volante stressed the Department of Public Works and its Parks and Forestry Division are doing the best they can to keep them safe and usable. He added that the new softball diamonds are in great shape but so many others could use more frequent upkeep.
As a result, Needham Baseball and Softball has for the last three-and-a-half years been budgeting money for an independent contractor to augment the work of the town all the way until Columbus Day.
“Every year it’s gone up a little bit, but we’re budgeting and planning our weekly maintenance schedule, spending upwards of $50,000 of Needham Baseball and Softball money just on our diamonds,” Volante said at the April 7 Park & Recreation Committee meeting.
Park & Recreation Director Stacey Mulroy said the town, through all its commissions and departments, is trying to respond to the growth of Needham’s sports teams. “There are way more feet on our fields and it takes more to keep them up,” she said. She mentioned that the budget process doesn’t necessarily line up with the sports’ schedules.
Volante spoke at the Park & Recreation Commission meeting to bring awareness to the need for more money to improve field conditions and tackle two more major challenges, one being that Needham is the only town in the district that doesn’t have a lighted diamond for Little League games. “We have the nicest softball fields in the region now, which is great. We just need a way to serve the Little League as well.”
The other big-picture problem is flooding at the Memorial Field diamond used by the Needham High School varsity team. Volante said stormwater management is needed to control water that rolls down from the hill. “You could stock that with trout and have a fishing derby at shortstop some days.”
At the meeting, Chris Gerstel, chairman of the Park & Recreation Commission, said it’s not just the fields but other parts of town they have to also take care of. “Unfortunately, there are three ‘not enoughs.’ We don’t have enough manpower. We don’t have enough money in the budget. And we don’t have enough hours in the day.”
At the end of the day, however, Mulroy said the town’s No. 1 goal is safety. And she added, “Not all the fields are perfect, but they are safe.”
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