Some of Belmont’s outdoor playing fields are shopworn and threadbare, desperately in need of a few months free of enthusiastic use.
The problem with Belmont’s playing fields has multiple facets. Some fields — those used primarily by recreational sports — are in what Recreation Director Brandon Fitts terms OK shape.
“Some are a little worse than others,” he said.
At the high school, the newly reopened Brendan Grant Field is in far worse condition, leaving town officials scratching their heads on the best way to handle chronic issues around drainage and dying sod.
On Monday night, Fitts, Department of Public Works Director Jay Marcotte, and Parks and Cemetery Division Manager Frank Sartori came to the Select Board to talk about field maintenance and call for the creation of a working group to manage maintenance of the fields.
“There is a narrative going around right now that the DPW and Parks aren’t doing their job,” said Town Administrator Patrice Garvin. “The thought is [that] a working group will help with that perception.”
According to Fitts, the fields used by programs in his department are stressed and overused because they are used almost year-round. That means maintenance, which includes just leaving the field untouched, is deferred.
The genesis of issues with the fields can be connected to the start of the high school construction project, Fitts said. The high school fields were unavailable, so sports had to move out into the wider community.
Then came COVID, adding another layer of pressure to the field use.
“Football in the fall was canceled and rebooked for the winter months,” Fitts said.
That removed valuable recovery time for the fields. It was compounded by the volume of people desperate for something to do, who turned to outdoor activities during the pandemic.
“With everyone wanting to be outside, it pushed our field use to an extreme,” he said.
The last factor has been the rapid growth in youth sports. With more kids playing more sports, the fields are in constant use. Monday night, Fitts cited a report indicating that some fields are used 200% or 300% more than is healthy for the fields.
Fields need time to rest and rehab; otherwise, the damage caused by regular play will not heal.
“A field condition working group will coordinate the rotating and resting of these fields,” Fitts said.
The Outlier
When the rebuilt Brendan Grant Field was turned over to the town by the builder, issues were immediately apparent. The left field area was flooded, and drainage issues, sod death, and even animal incursions have been noticed.
“The left field had drainage issues,” Marcotte said. “There are two philosophies about what is happening: The soil condition under the sod is not adequate for drainage, or the roots are too dense to allow water to penetrate.”
Monday night, Marcotte said he believes construction issues are the root cause of the drainage problems at Grant field. The field was turned over to the town in the fall of 2023, and issues were already apparent. By that point, the warranty had expired, he said.
Other fields at the soccer and softball fields east of the school were also cited as problematic.
According to Marcotte, it is hoped a maintenance plan, including aeration, adding media to aid drainage, and other steps, will improve the situation at Brendan Grant Field. But, for it to work, the field must be rested, creating more headaches in other places.
Next steps
According to Elizabeth Dionne, Chair of the Select Board, complaints about field conditions have gone from a dull roar to a screech in the past year.
“I don’t see an alternative to a working group, getting everyone in a room to hammer out a solution,” she said.