Local News |

Renovated Deerfield park playing fields could be done by Thanksgiving

Heavy equipment and turned earth is visible now in the southern portion of Jewett Park in Deerfield, but by Thanksgiving, passersby should be able to see a renovated baseball diamond, softball field and skate park.

The fields, which will be operational in the spring after the sod to be planted soon takes hold, are part of a $2.1 million first phase of Jewett Park 2.0, an updated master plan for the village’s 12-acre downtown park, said Jeff Nehila, Deerfield Park District executive director. J

Nehila said Phase 2, renovation of the northern portion of the park, is scheduled for 2024.

Along with cosmetic amenities like dugouts, Nehila said the bulk of the work on the baseball and softball fields is infrastructure to provide improved stormwater drainage. It will significantly quicken drying time after a rain.

“The last two years have been some of the wettest on record” Nehila said. “It took at least two days for the fields to be playable after a one-inch rain. Now, they will be ready the same day or the day after.”

In addition, Nehila said the dirt on the skinned infield of the baseball diamond and the softball field will be premium infield grade, an improvement from the current material. It, too, will recover faster from rain and provide a truer bounce for a ground ball.

Dan McGrath, immediate past commissioner of the Deerfield Youth Baseball and Softball Association who worked with the park district during the planning process, said he is excited about youngsters playing on the new fields.

“We are really glad to see this come to fruition,” McGrath said. “The improvements will be great for the kids. We’ll be able to play more games. Some years, we have not been able to make up all the games.”

McGrath said more than 900 youngsters between ages 6 and 14 play either baseball or softball on fields throughout the village, with most being at Jewett Park. Ballplayers get a chance to compete there under the lights with an announcer introducing the players on a public address system.

The announcer, plus the dugouts shielding players from the weather and protecting them from foul balls, help create a “major league” feel for the youngsters, he said.

“It’s real baseball with the skinned infield and dugouts,” McGrath said. “The dugouts create a barrier between the players and the crowd.”

Much of the outfield between the baseball and softball fields can be transformed into a soccer surface with the temporary installation of goals, Nehila said.

The skate park, state of the art when it was built 20 years ago, will be that again when finished and is designed to accommodate the skater from the time he or she enters with a board until finished. It also will have areas for street skating, with a snake run, a manny pad, a quarter pipe, an L.A. High wall, an A-frame and a raked pan ledge, Nehila said.

A new ADA-compliant sidewalk is nearly done and the parking lot near the Jewett Park Community Center is rebuilt, he said. The war memorial at the southwest corner of the park will be relocated near the community center.

Phase 2 of the park project will include a renovated playground, a fountain and plaza near the shelter, a natural area in the northwest portion with natural trees and interpretive stations, a concert pavilion and gaga pits.

Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter.