PROJECT EVERGREEN AND STMA TEAM UP
TO RENOVATE THE BALL FIELD AT PHOENIX’S LINDO PARK Project EverGreen, the national nonprofit devoted to creating a greener, healthier, cooler Earth; the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA); the city of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department; local businesses and residents teamed up on Monday, January 21, 2019, at the half-a- century old Lindo Park in South Phoenix, Arizona to give the 22-acre park something the community has always wanted: a real ball field.
Volunteers including sports field managers, lawn care professionals, landscape contractors, groundskeepers and neighborhood youth assisted with the transformation that had an estimated value in excess of $50,000. Te project included:
• Surveying the field to determine existing and proposed elevations for the playing surface.
• Re-inspecting and adjusting the irrigation system to insure proper coverage in the outfield.
• Fertilizing and slitting seed for the outfield turf – nearly 60,000-square-feet.
• Laying out and rebuilding the pitcher’s mound and installing a new pitching rubber.
• Laying out and rebuilding the batter’s boxes/ catcher’s box and installing a new home plate.
• Grading the infield surface to cut high areas and fill low areas.
• Laying out new sod to form the grass edges along the base lines.
“Neighborhoods deserve a healthy park or community green space that they can call their own,” says Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “Triving parks create a community hub for neighbors – young and old – to connect and helps to instill pride in their community and confidence in area residents and creates a place for adults and youth to exercise and have fun.” Te project received excellent coverage by the local media.
STMA supported the renovation project by having more than 80 professional sports turf managers on site. “We were thrilled to be a part of this important project and bring a well-managed and playable ballpark to a deserving community,” says Kim Heck, CAE, CEO of the STMA. “To use our professional expertise and know-how and bring a plan like this to life is a win-win for everyone.”
32
Volunteers team up to install the 5,000 square feet of bermudagrass sod donated by West Coast Turf – Arizona. Photo by Steve Trusty.
Among the many companies donating products to make the project successful were TPI members, Hunter Industries, who supplied irrigation heads and parts; and West Coast Turf – Arizona, who supplied 5,000 square feet of bermudagrass sod.
Project EverGreen has renovated more than 32 community parks across the country since 2006. In January of 2018, the city of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department and community leader Muriel Smith nominated the park for a new ballfield.
Smith, 72, has lived in the community surrounding Lindo Park for four decades. She has raised three children, 13 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren; many of whom grew up playing in Lindo Park.
Over the years, Smith worked with the city of Phoenix Neighborhood Services and Parks and Recreation departments, Phoenix Police Department, former District 8 Councilwoman Kate Gallego and District 7 Councilman Michael Nowakowski. Tey worked with local high schools and hosted graffiti clean-ups on the weekends, and things turned around and the park became a place to gather again.
Since then, a recreation center named after Smith was built in Lindo Park in 2016 along with a large ramada with picnic tables for gatherings outside and a new playground. Now, neighborhood groups hold meetings, host tree plantings, put on special events and kids read and study there. “Tis ballpark will be the icing on the cake for the kids in this community,” says Smith.
TPI Turf News March/April 2019
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
