ShawneeDispatch.com

A baseball practice field that Shawnee parks officials say will be the model for any future ballfield construction in the city was used officially for the first time Monday.

Neal Holman, Shawnee director of parks and pecreation, said that teams already had conducted limited practices at the Garrett Park field, but new sod in the outfield and continued improvements to the warning track had restricted drills to the infield until this week.

"If everything goes well out there, I think that will be our new pick if we build anymore ballfields," Holman said Friday.

Parks and recreation officials at one time pegged completion of the park for March, but rain and other factors put the project behind schedule.

Crews as late as mid-March had regraded and resodded the fescue-and-bluegrass outfield after excessive rain and drainage problems at the site washed away prior work.

Dirt was added this past weekend to the field's warning track, which had been rutted due to drainage problems, Holman said.

Given the setbacks, the finished field -- with bright yellow foul poles and a matching outfield fence pad -- should help recreational baseball and softball teams prepare for the summer season without further delay.

"There's a tremendous need for practice fields in Shawnee," Holman said, "and ours are kept up very nice."

Other improvements at the park already have been completed.

Holman said his office has fielded numerous calls concerning the park's two shelters already.

"There's not anytime of the day that I can't go out by there and both playgrounds are being played on and people are walking or riding their bike," Holman said. "Everyone just loves it. I've had e-mails, I've had letters. It's going really well."

The park's other ballfield, where Holman said he expects football and soccer teams to practice, has seen signs of life as well.

"We have the irrigation on it, it's all seeded and you're starting to see a little fuzz out there, so grass is starting to come up and we'll just have to see how that goes," he said.

Ideally, Holman said, the multi-use field wouldn't be used this year to allow the grass to establish a root system.

"We at least need to give it a chance," he said.