The new school fields were seen with problems preventing the teams from playing at the Grand Junction High School campus in the upcoming spring sports season.
The baseball and soccer fields were expected to be played on by the second year of the new building, but the grass was not properly maintained for use. The soccer field has bare patches throughout the grass, creating an unsafe running space for the players, and the baseball field has had problems with the fence length and the outfield’s grass is unplayable. The teams are forced to wait another season until the grass is properly grown in and maintained to use their fields for games.
“With the spring sports like girls’ soccer and baseball, the fields are not ready to play on due to work that needs to be done to the turf and grass. We didn’t want the kids at risk of getting injured on the grass. The sod has holes, which we are trying to smooth and make safe to prepare for the next season,” said GJHS athletic director Shawn Marsh.
An issue with the fields was the sprinklers malfunctioning during the summer when the fields were brand new. Additionally, the sod was not filled in properly. FCI Constructions, Inc. worked with Mesa County Valley School District 51 to construct the new building and field. FCI is working on the overtop dressing, which means filling the holes with dirt. This is so the grass can grow over the dirt properly.
“Softball did practice on the field a few times in preparation for regionals because we had a week with a lot of rain, so we were able to utilize it,” said GJHS softball and baseball assistant Michael Meyer.
The baseball team hopes to use its field more frequently this season for both practices and games. As long as the fields receive proper maintenance, hosting games should not be an issue.
“Being able to have our own field that we can access whenever we need it, whenever we want it, as opposed to working through the city, is huge,” said Meyer.
With easier access and fewer obstacles, these fields have the potential to become a bigger part of athletics on campus if they continue to be cared for and fully used.
During the boys’ soccer season, the team played on the newly added $1.5 million turf football field. The boys lacrosse team has been practicing on the football field on campus, but when the season starts, they will play at Long’s Park, located at 3117 F Rd. The turf field will be designed to be used only by the track and field team.
The fields are expected to be played on next fall season for the boys’ soccer team. This season, the GJHS boys baseball team and girls soccer team will be practicing and playing at Canyon View Park when having home games this season.
