South San Francisco, CA May 14, 2021 Rebroadcasted from City of South San Francisco
Background
The main baseball/softball field at Orange Memorial Park is the heart of the sports community in South San Francisco. While staff has dealt with long-standing maintenance challenges due to an aging infrastructure, the field has been used for youth baseball, South San Francisco High School Varsity Baseball, and adult softball. Soccer has not been scheduled on the field due to wear and tear on the field and potential use conflicts with baseball and softball. This limited use results in the field being used for approximately 25 hours per week. For years the sports community has made requests for improvements both small and large to the field. Until now, Parks and Recreation has not had funding for a full renovation of the field. Instead, maintenance staff has worked to patch the irrigation, reseed and top dress the grass, and make repairs to fences, bleachers, and lighting as necessary.
In 2018, an opportunity for funding arose in the form of a storm water capture and cleaning project managed by the Department of Public Works. Thanks to two grants from Caltrans, Public Works will engage in a major project in which a large cistern will be placed under the sports field. A condition of the grant is that funding from the grant be set aside for the replacement of a field above the cistern.
The Future of the Orange Memorial Park Sports Field
On November 4, 2019, staff hosted a Community Workshop to review the sports field existing conditions, anticipated future use, and review of design options. The discussion revolved around the use by sports leagues, a central question of synthetic or natural turf for the field, and the shared priority of insuring that the field is integrated into future plans for the whole of Orange Memorial Park.
In summary, there was overwhelming support for installing synthetic turf. Synthetic turf will make the field far more flexible. Field use could increase from approximately 25 hours/week to over 45 hours/week, including several soccer practices and games per week. The field could be used during and immediately after rain events, something not possible with a natural turf field.
Throughout 2020, staff and the team from Verde Design developed Preliminary Design Documents for the Sports Field project. This included close coordination with Public Works and their consultant team to ensure the sports field and storm water captures projects align.
Sports Field Features:
- Electronic Scoreboards
- Synthetic Turf
- Sports Field Lighting
- Enhanced Planting Areas
- Spectator Areas
- One Adult/Teen Baseball Diamond with Dugouts, Bullpens & Batting Cage
- One Adult/Teen Softball Diamond with Dugouts, Bullpens & Batting Cage
- Two Youth Baseball Diamonds with Dugouts & Bullpens
- Two Adult Soccer Fields with Portable Goals
- Two Junior Soccer Fields with Portable Goals
- Four Youth Soccer Fields with Portable Goals
- Drinking Fountains
- Concession Building
Conceptual Design 2021
Please note: This will be updated as designs become more finalized
Project Timeline
Status
The project is currently in the design phase. For additional information or to be notified of upcoming public meeting on the design, please contact Philip Vitale at (650) 877-8548, or email at philip.vitale@ssf.net
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When will the fields reopen? The fields area expected to reopen Spring 2023.
Q: Who will be able to use the fields? The fields will be available for use by leagues and the general public.
Q: Are the palm trees staying? A few trees will be removed to accommodate the expanded field size, but all the palm trees will remain.
Q: Where can I play baseball and softball while the fields are under construction? The City operates a softball field at Hillside Field. Baseball fields are available at Avalon, Alta Loma, Buri Buri, Westborough and more.
Q: How is the project funded? The project is funded through a combination of Caltrans grants and Park In-Lieu fees.