City schedules field resurfaces at Agnes Patterson

Select baseball and softball fields at Agnes Patterson Memorial Park are scheduled for resurfacing projects in fiscal year 2022.

According to the city’s capital improvement plan, the $25,000 project will be paid for using general fund bonds and will affect two Little League baseball fields and all six softball fields in the park.

Agnes Patterson Park is located in the 3000 block of North Fourth Avenue East. The project would remove the grass infield of the two baseball fields and regrade the six softball fields with new material.

The city says fields have developed lips around the edges of infield grass, leading to uneven playing surfaces and causing safety issues. Skinning the baseball infields will allow for safer play and easier maintenance.

Softball fields are in need of regrading and added material due to years of play. In 2018, Matt Holmes, a Newton resident, told park board and city staff of his grievances with the field divots, uneven patches in grass and lips in the dirt.

Holmes worried these issues could cause injuries. Newton Community Services Director Brian Laube sympathized with Holmes’ plight and said a lot of what he addressed about the fields was also discussed amongst staff.

Now that the project has been budgeted, Holmes is excited and feels it’s about time. The conversations he and others have had with city staff seem to be paying off, he said.

“The resurfacing is going to get rid of areas that are currently a concern for player safety if a ball were to hit the wrong way,” Holmes told Newton News. “It’s going to make upkeep easier for the leagues and the city.”

It’s a win-win, he added, and a great start.

“I think that this is will also open up the ability to potentially hold baseball/softball tournaments in the near future to help with fundraising for these leagues,” Holmes said. “It’s a huge step in the right direction.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com