Naperville Little League plans to donate $200,000 to Naperville Park District to replace the grass at Memorial Field inKnoch Park with synthetic turf. The same would be done at a field at the DuPage River Sports Complex. (Naperville League League)
Naperville Little League plans to donate $200,000 to the Naperville Park District to replace the grass-covered baseball fields in two parks with synthetic turf.
An agreement will be drawn up outlining the donation and the steps required for turf installation, maintenance and field scheduling, park district Executive Director Brad Wilson said Thursday at the Naperville Park Board meeting.
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Plans call for the switch from natural to synthetic turf to be done at DuPage River Sports Complex Field 5 at Washington Street and Royce Roads and Memorial Field at Knoch Park at the southwest corner of West Street and Martin Avenue, Wilson said.
The installation is tentatively set for the DuPage River complex field in 2023 and the Knoch Park field in 2024, he said.
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Synthetic turf will improve the playability of the fields, reduce the number of makeup games due to rainouts, provide a more consistent playing surface and reduce some of the field prep required with grass baseball fields, Wilson said.
The district will work with the Little League to determine the overall best product for that type of application, he said. They may use the same FieldTurf-brand product used for recent renovations at the Nike Sports Complex, he said.
In addition, the district will explore the use of CoolPlay, a product from FieldTurf, to reduce field temperature on days that are exceptionally hot.
To allow for more flexibility, they also will look into installing pegs for 60-foot and 70-foot bases and movable pitching mounds so the fields can be adjusted for softball or other district programs, Wilson said.
The district has synthetic turf installed at several fields, including Commissioners Park, Nike Sports Complex and Knoch Park.
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