After deciding to install artificial turf at the Fort Borst Park fields earlier this year using $1.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds the City of Centralia received, the city council on Tuesday motioned for the Parks & Recreation Department to move forward with plans to turf field number three at the Borst Park softball complex and at Wheeler Field.
The council also directed the Parks & Recreation Department to maximize turfing opportunities. Field three was chosen based on advice from Centralia Community Development Director Emil Pierson.
“(Field three) is the biggest bang for your buck. It’s the one you want to do. We’ve looked at it very closely,” Pierson said.
Wheeler Field was chosen in order to help make it more of a destination field for teams in the region. The goal is to help draw more tournaments to Centralia with better seating, lighting and a fully-turfed field, Pierson said. He said the goal is to finish all of these improvements by the end of the city’s current biennial budget.
The motion was approved unanimously after around 45 minutes of discussion and input from council members, members of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board and Centralia School District Superintendent Lisa Grant.
Grant thanked the city for working with the school district in developing the plan to turf certain fields at Borst Park.
“Our intent is really maximum benefit both for the students and the school district, but also our community,” Grant said.
While artificial turf is often usable when natural grass isn’t during the rainy season, the city decided to maintain some grass surfaces at the Borst Park fields because of concerns over excessive heat on turf. Typically, artificially turfed fields are on average between 10 to 30 degrees hotter than natural grass fields. The balance would also allow athletes to train on both types of surfaces.
Other Borst Park improvements discussed included adding better lighting throughout the fields.
Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston shared concerns she heard from members of her daughter’s high school fastpitch softball team as well as the coaches. She wanted a solution for the team having to put up its own fence every time it used the field, as different types of softball and baseball have different field size requirements.
“The fastpitch coach said to me that when the girls have to go out and put up their own fences, that sort of eats up his home field advantage. Because now they’re out putting up the fences. The other team has the opportunity to warm up, etc., so I hope that changes,” Smith Johnston said.
While Wheeler Field is used by the school district as well, Smith Johnston added the priority is to keep it a community field first. She wanted community use of the field prioritized over any private industry events.
“I understand the value of the tournaments for our city and I support them, but I do believe our parks are a community resource that the community needs to have priority over,” Smith Johnston said.
With the differences in size requirements between baseball and softball fields, she was concerned with keeping fields designated for certain boys or girls sports. For example, a field designated for girls fastpitch softball would only be used for that sport.
Borst Park is located at 2030 Borst Ave. in Centralia, next to Centralia Middle School.
