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Veterans Field project nearly complete

'The goal was to have nobody play on it purposely because we dug the whole field up and we had gone down a foot, for the turf to take and for everything to settle in so that in the spring it would be perfect'
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Veterans Field looks ready for baseball. Crews are almost finished with the $500,000 renovation which began in the spring. Photo by Chris Dawson/BayToday.ca

The $500,000 renovation at Veterans Field is going according to schedule.    

Dave Schroeder, Manager of Parks at the City of North Bay, says the project which started in the spring is nearly complete.

“They are 99 per cent done, they just have some incidentals that they have to do,” said Schroeder.

“The infield has been put in and the synthetic turf is in and the clay infield is in. The warning tracks are in now and the sod has been down for about a month so it is going really well. The turf is growing and it’s getting good roots too so we are pretty happy.”

Schroeder says Mother Nature cooperated with a good combination of rain and sun in August and early September to help the newly sodded outfield grow.

Despite the project being on schedule, Schroeder says Veterans will not be used by the Senior Baseball League in their new fall league.  

“The goal was to have nobody play on it purposely because we dug the whole field up and we had gone down a foot to give the turf time to take and for everything to settle in so that in the spring it would be perfect,” said Schroeder.  

The city is also doing some renovations at the Optimist Fields on Wallace Road next to Pete Palangio arena.

As part of the 2018 Parks Capital Plan, workers are installing a new irrigation system on both Kelly Field and Handley Field along with improving drainage and creating a cement pad for the bleachers.    

“It is just part of the process where we look at the fencing, the infield, the outfield, and irrigation and just try to invest some money into that field so it becomes more playable and keeps being playable for the future,” Schroeder continued.


Chris Dawson

About the Author: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson has been with BayToday.ca since 2004. He has provided up-to-the-minute sports coverage and has become a key member of the BayToday news team.
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