Congress Springs User Groups Are Happy With Park's Overhaul Plan
Little League, soccer reps wonder where they'll play
City chooses design firm
By Kara Chalmers
Congress Springs Park, Saratoga's premier park, according to some in the city, will undergo a major overhaul this year. While the project's cost has doubled since October, the organizations that use the 10-acre park see the urgent need for the planned renovation and are happy. Their only worry is where they will go during construction.
The project involves redesigning the layout of the park's five fields that organizations, such as Saratoga Little League, American Youth Soccer League (AYSO) and Saratoga Pony League, share. The project entails digging up and putting down all new soccer and baseball fields. When the fields are reconstructed, the existing irrigation one to two feet down will be dug up, and all new grass will be laid. Congress Springs' restrooms and parking lot will stay where they are, according to the city's acting public works director, John Cherbone.
The interiors of the restrooms at the park are also scheduled for renovation, but they are part of a different project.
Cherbone estimates that the park's renovation project will cost $1.2 million. In October, the City Council approved spending $600,000 of the park development fund for the project, as recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission. The park fund totals just under $2.2 million.
At its meeting May 17, the City Council approved the monetary increase. The extra $600,000 will also come from the park development fund, which can be used for improvements to the city's parks. Cary Bloomquist, the city staff liaison to the Parks and Recreation Commission, said that while portions of the fund are earmarked for different projects, the fund is flexible and money can be shifted from one project to another, depending on the city's priorities.
The tentative timeline to begin construction work on the fields is December. The renovation should last through August 2001, according to Cherbone.
One goal of the renovation is to get as many playfields as possible from the five fields there now, Cherbone said. But another goal is to make the fields safer. There have been no renovations made at the park since it was built, he added. "Right now, the fields are in such bad shape because they are so old. There are uneven surfaces created from overuse and potential tripping hazards."
Mark Linsky, a Saratoga AYSO Regional Commissioner and coach, says he sees a great need for major renovation. But he hopes that the renovation is the first step in a resurgence of support for acquiring more fields in the city. "The hope for us is that once the community sees the value of improved fields at Congress Springs, we hope there'll be a willingness to invest in more fields in Saratoga," he said.
According to Linsky, Congress Springs' fields turn into mudholes when it rains. He says that the fields are mostly covered with weeds, which don't withstand use as well as grass. The fields are also uneven, he says, although they are not as bad as some others in the city.
Linsky said that none of the five fields at the park is regulation size, which means that the under-14, under-16, and under-19 soccer teams cannot play games there.
According to Keith Simon, president of Saratoga Little League, the fields are laid out improperly for soccer and baseball teams to share. "[The park] is not designed well for both types of sports," he said.
He suggested that the redesign allow for soccer fields to be moved from year to year so that the same spots aren't worn out. He also pointed out that the setting sun is directly in pitchers' eyes.
With a redesign and different layout, Simon said, perhaps seven or eight fields could be made out of the five there now. "Right now, every one of our Little League fields are being used Monday through Friday and all day Saturday," he said, adding that as Saratoga grows, which it will, there will be no room for more teams.
The city's public works department has chosen a design firm, and the contract for almost $100,000 is scheduled to come before the City Council for approval at its meeting on June 7. Greg G. Ing and Associates, a design firm based in San Jose, can begin work once the council has approved the contract. The firm would be the general contractor for the whole project and would work directly with turf consultant Dave Moyer from DBA Moyer Consulting Group, with whom the city contracted in March for $17,955 worth of services.
Moyer's job is to test the park's soil for nutrient content, and analyze what nutrients to add. Rain water drainage and the maintainability and growth of the grass are all issues.
City officials are working with the user groups to find alternate sites during the park's renovation. Little League's season lasts from March through June, and there is a chance, Simon said, that they won't miss any of it. But most likely, they will have to find new fields for their 2001 season next year.
"We're extremely concerned about finding places to play," Simon said, adding that since many families have more than one child playing baseball at the same time, if the teams are all spread out, it will prove to be a major inconvenience for parents throughout the season to trudge between parks.
AYSO's Linsky agreed. "We're going to have to partner with the schools," he said, which means there will probably be less practice times for his teams during the affected season. Splitting up the soccer teams would prove to be a challenge for coaches, referees and families, he said. AYSO's season starts in August with soccer camps. The season lasts until Thanksgiving.
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