After the heavy rain we had early Saturday evening, I was in the area and decided to stop at the fields to take a look. On the way in, I glanced at Field 4 and I didn't see any puddling. Field 2 had some puddling around the bases, but overall it wasn't too bad. Field 3 had an active river running through it, I'm not joking.
I was never up at those fields after a hard rain and I was shocked to see what was happening, but it supports why field 3 is always in bad shape after rain. I walked onto the field by the first base dugout and looked up the first base line and this is what I saw.
The other fields were relatively dry, but field 3 still had water draining through it. So, I walked up the first base line and took another picture.
I was standing close to first base and facing the bleachers. Notice the large pool of water behind first base. My assumption is all the water is running off the hill by the bleachers and maybe even from the outfield, puddling behind first base. There is nothing wrong with that if it stayed there, but look where the waters travels from this point.
All I did was turn 190 degress and take a picture facing the opposite dugout. Yeah, it flows down the first base line and exits the field on the opposite side of the field. But, notice the damage it makes through its path.
When I was there, water was flowing off the field to the point where visible rapids could be seen. And this was about an hour AFTER the rain stopped! Field 2 and Field 4 had minimal puddles, but Field 3 still had flowing water.
Some of this large amount of water also decided to puddle on and around home plate. The amount of water and mud that was washed into home plate made it impossible to actually see the plate.
Imagine the work that is needed to get Field 3 playable? Here is a picture from the third base dugout that gives a good overview of what is happening here. Remember, this is a good hour after the rain had stopped.
The County Rec Department agreed to bring in a company specializing in fields and drainage. I hope to be present at the time when they look at the fields. I will be printing these pictures and sending them to the County Rec Department and I will also bring a copy to the fields with me.
My opinion is that Field 2 and Field 4 have acceptable drainage. It's obvious that Field 3 needs attention with drainage. I also believe that all fields need a better playing surface, more of a sand and clay mixture. This will improve the safety, performance, and drainage of the field surface.
If we can work with the other leagues and the county, there is no reason why we can't make this happen.
~Billy
