Island Crest Park Athletic Fields Upgrades
Project Details/Neighborhood
- Island Crest Park - North and South Athletic Fields
Background
The North Athletic Field at Island Crest Park is the most-used athletic field in the City’s park system, hosting recreational and league teams year-round. The backstop needs to be replaced with a taller structure. The synthetic turf, which is due for a lifecycle replacement, will be upgraded with cork and shock pad to replace the current crumb rubber infill. The South Field backstops are also worn and not functioning well. Field users have reported foul balls hitting spectators and vehicles in the parking lot, but the existing poles cannot support more netting or additional height, according to an engineer’s assessment. The current backstop needs to be replaced with a taller structure designed to reduce foul ball conflicts with spectators. The design will require larger diameter poles and welded connections due to the wind load at the site.
Description
This project includes upgrading the ballfield backstops at both the North and South Fields and replacing the North Infield turf. The project will be constructed in phases, with replacement of the North Infield turf occurring first.
Project Timeline
Planning / Design: Q2-Q3 2023
Construction – North Infield Turf Replacement: Q4 2023-Q1 2024
Construction – Backstop Upgrades: 2025
Target Completion Date: Q4 2025
Estimated Budget
2023: $400,000
Contact
Sarah Bluvas, CIP Project Manager: (206) 275-7864 or sarah.bluvas@mercerisland.gov
Status Updates
March 22, 2024
Photos:
1. Completed field
2. GMAX testing (2 photos)
This week, technicians performed testing on the new infield turf to measure its impact attenuation, which is the ability of the playing surface to absorb shock from a collision. During the tests, a 20-pound cylindrical weight is dropped three times from a height of 2 feet. The test is performed at 10 high-traffic locations depending on the sport; for baseball, these locations include the batter’s boxes, midfield, and first and third base running lines. Staff anticipate receiving the test report by the end of the month.
March 8, 2024
Photos:
- Fans
- Gluing
- Infill
- Snow
- Snow removal
After weather delays over the past two weeks paused work, the north infield turf replacement at Island Crest Park is finished. The City’s Parks Operations and Recreation teams cleared the field of snow and set up industrial fans on Tuesday to dry the field out for FieldTurf to finish gluing and applying infill on Wednesday and Thursday. Staff, the contractor, and the consultant completed the final walkthrough this morning, and the construction fencing has been removed. The field is now open for baseball practice, and the Varsity baseball team plays their first home game on the new turf on Monday, March 11.
February 16, 2024
Photo: Island Crest Park Turf Install
Crews made great progress this week installing new infield turf and the underlying shock padding. This project is on track for completion in March.
February 12, 2024
Photos:
- City staff, the consultant from DA Hogan, and the FieldTurf crew walked the infield this week to inspect the gravel height.
- FieldTurf started installing the new shock pad system for the bullpen the week of February 5.
- A permanent pitcher’s mound replaces the portable mound previously used at the field.
- The field will continue to feature three basepath lengths – 70’, 80’, and 90’.
- New turf, cork infill, and shock pad systems have been delivered.
Last week, City staff, the consultant from DA Hogan, and the FieldTurf crew walked the North Infield to inspect the base gravel height before turf install begins this week. Additionally, crews built the new permanent pitcher’s mound and installed new base anchors for the three basepath lengths – 70’, 80’, and 90’.
As part of this capital project, the City is shifting from the current rubber infill system to a cork infill + shock pad system. The shock pad sits between the gravel base layer and the artificial turf layer and provides an extra layer of impact absorption, lowering the risk of injury after a fall. Artificial turf also lasts longer when installed on top of the shock pad, as the pad protects the turf from abrasion caused by the gravel base layer. Using a shock pad requires less infill, so the new turf system should also be easier to maintain.
FieldTurf started installing the shock pad layer for the bullpen area last week, and the rest of the pad, as well as the turf and cork infill, have been delivered. The crews will start installing the rest of the shock pad system and laying turf this week, pending dry weather.
February 1, 2024
Photo 1: Infield Turf Removal – The existing infield turf has been fully removed as of 02.01.24.
Photo 2: Bullpen Area – Removal of the turf and preparation in the bullpen area for new turf is almost complete.
Progress continues on the North Infield turf replacement at Island Crest Park. The old infield turf has been fully removed, and the bullpen turf removal and site preparation is almost complete. Earlier this week, the construction crew hit an irrigation line when working in the bullpen area, but the pipe was repaired on Wednesday and no work time was lost. The identified parking area remains closed as construction continues.
January 22, 2024
Photo: Parking impacts for construction staging and access
Crews from FieldTurf plan to mobilize this week to begin removal of the old North Infield turf. Approximately 5-10 parking spaces may be closed off in the upper Island Crest Park parking lot to accommodate construction staging and access. Drive-through traffic will remain open during construction.
December 2023
Image: Design for North Infield turf replacement
DA Hogan, the City’s consultant partner, completed the design for the North Infield turf replacement. This project includes a permanent pitcher’s mound and the option to turf the bullpen in between the North and South fields. The City plans to contract with FieldTurf through the King County Directors Association (KCDA) purchasing cooperative to install the new turf. Construction is on track to be completed before 2024 baseball season begins; the construction timeline will be added to the project page soon.
September 2023
Design of the North Infield turf replacement is underway, and the consultant is also evaluating vendor opportunities through the King County Directors Association (KCDA) purchasing cooperative. Staff anticipate completing the turf replacement in winter 2023/2024.
March 2023
The City is contracting with DA Hogan to complete the design for this project.
project location (5 MB)